Maturity and Men

I turn 30 this week. It’s interesting. I’ve had people say things like, “You are a grown up now.” This is a strange statement. Has 30 really become the age of maturity? If this is society’s expectation, we’re setting the bar very low.

Society does itself a disservice when it doesn’t expect men to grow up until they are 30. Enabling men to shirk any real responsibility until they turn 30 is unacceptable.

What happens when we encourage men to live over a third of their life as an adolescent? Among the many ramifications, one stands out: how women view men. There are now countless articles about how women need to adapt to not having a mature man in their life. These articles tell women they need to have a plan to parent, provide, and lead—alone.

Here is a sample of what is being said:

“They (men) are more like the kids we babysat than the dads who drove us home." - Julie Klausner

“Relatively affluent, free of family responsibilities, and entertained by an array of media devoted to his every pleasure, the single young man can live in pig heaven—and often does. Women put up with him for a while, but then in fear and disgust either give up on any idea of a husband and kids or just go to a sperm bank and get the DNA without the troublesome man.” - Kay S. Hymowitz wsj.com

These words should hit us like Ray Lewis coming off the edge unblocked. Men, the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:7 that man is the glory of God! You are the glory of God; you bear the image of the Creator. The quotes above should cause us to pause and ask, “is the life I’m living showing off God’s glory?”

Living a life that shows off God’s glory is an endless pursuit, but one thing must happen before we can start down the road: we must admit that we are weak and that we need help. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul gave us great insight into where he got his strength. Paul said, “ …I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”(2 Cor. 12:9)

Men, we must remember that we are the glory of God. Grown up men realize that strength and maturity is found in knowing that they are weak and Jesus is strong. Our world needs young men who will embrace that they are the glory of God. Women should not have to plan out of fear that the man in their life will never grow up. Guys, let’s raise the bar for Biblical Authentic Manhood.