Evidences of a Mature Faith

This blog post isn’t necessarily about art and faith as much as it is about the art of living well.

I’m at the age now where I know several people who are at the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a slow, drawn-out descent, which can be both agonizingly difficult and deeply tender and meaningful. It’s life. And for many, it’s inevitable.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the filters come down over time. The little voice that keeps you from saying something inappropriate, or act impulsively, or share what you’re really feeling—it goes silent. And what’s left is, in a real sense, raw authenticity—because everything that was once on the inside, is suddenly outside, for all the world to see and hear. I’ve seen both sides of this firsthand. Some friends become terse and impatient, critical and short-tempered. And some become more grace-filled, loving, thankful. Their lack of filter betrays who they have become.

Which has got me thinking: If I lost my filters, who would people see?

Because if you are a Christ follower, and if you are diligent in your spiritual formation (in cooperation with the Spirit of God), more than likely, you will lean into the latter person. One who displays the fruits of the Spirit in increasing measure. One who is loves fully, forgives easily, trusts eternally, hopes always.

I think that many people who profess to be Christ followers subscribe to the notion of a truncated Gospel, where the profession of faith is their requisite to heaven, and any true character change as a result of spiritual formation is considered optional. So the term “spiritual formation” devolves into a form of Bible Study focused on knowing what the Bible says, but no real Spirit-led characterological reorientation happens in their life.

Over the last ten years or so, I’ve considered five evidences of a maturing faith, five aspects of a person who is truly becoming mature in their faith. Beyond Bible knowledge or mere Christian piety, these are the aspects of my character that I want to grow in, and hopefully, I will be this person if and when the filters come down in my life.

HUMILITY This is a big one for me. As I’ve matured in Christ, I’ve continued to gain a greater self-awareness of my own shortcomings, my self-centeredness, my pride. And in that awareness, I’m learning in greater and greater ways that God is God and I am not. Humility can be defined as simply knowing who you really are in light of who God is. Maturity is knowing God, and in that knowing, we can appropriately find the entirety of our worth not in accomplishments or titles or money or power, but simply as a beloved child of God.

True humility dissipates anger and frustration. It leads to patience and gentleness with others. It puts the needs of others before ourselves, in healthy ways. For me, a good indication of humility is that I’m more willing to admit that I don’t know the answers, or that I don’t have to have an opinion on any given subject. In an age where “influencers” broadcast their vacuous opinions to the world, not being impressed with one’s own knowledge reveals restraint and wisdom.

WONDER I really feel that one of the byproducts of growing in humility is knowing that the universe is larger than our ability to understand it. True maturity is seeing the world as God’s creation, and our proper response should be a sense of awestruck wonder and genuine curiosity. I actually believe that wonder is one of the more advanced aspects of spiritual maturity. The mature Christian continually grasps at—and even thirsts for—mystery, and continually marvels in God’s infinity. For it prepares our souls for heaven.

As I mature in faith, I find myself genuinely impressed at the bird songs I hear on early morning walks, or the sight of a full moon on a cloudless night, or the frolicsome flight of paper airplanes my grandson and I make together. And I also find myself increasingly impressed by the nature of our mysterious Triune God and His unfathomable ways—and giving glory to Him because of it.

WISDOM Related to both humility and wonder is Wisdom (James 3:13). According to Bible Hub, “wisdom is an understanding and insight that aligns with the character and purposes of God.” In other words, it’s knowing the heart of God and being able to apply it to your life and hopefully to the lives of others. And in an age where everyone thinks themself wise, true wisdom has become a rare commodity.

But in my experience, wisdom is more than that. Wisdom is a highly relational thing, in that the application of it requires us to know ourselves well and understand those around us. In my experience, wisdom requires that we attune ourselves to the Spirit of God as well as to others. Wisdom includes seeing people as God sees them, in order to help them hear that which aligns them with the character and purposes of God. This is the kind of wisdom that prepares us for eternity. The person growing in spiritual maturity is someone who increasingly understands and follows after God’s own heart (Proverbs 4:5-7).

GRATITUDE One of the aspects of maturity I’m trying to foster in my heart is an attitude of perpetual gratitude. To not take any gift of grace in our lives for granted. There are too many people in the world who profess Christ but whose lives are characterized by bitterness and criticism and complaint. (We see it on social media every day.) I want to be the kind of person who wakes up thankful, goes about the day thankful, and goes to bed thankful. Clean water. A roof to sleep under. Safe neighborhoods. The ability to practice our faith freely. Even the next breath you breathe. There really is so much to be grateful for, if you look for it.

LOVE Of course, the greatest of these is love. As I continue to mature in my faith, I know I am being called to love others—family and friends, neighbors and strangers, the beautiful and the unlovely—to greater and greater degree. And in equal measure, I feel that God is growing my heart’s capacity to love others. And so I am trying to foster a heart that increasingly sees the world as filled with people God loves, and responding in kind.

As I’ve looked back at the person I was ten or twenty or even thirty years ago, I can see where the Lord has gently molded me in these five areas. And now, on the cusp of a new chapter of my life, I want more than ever to continue to grow my soul in humility, in wonder, in wisdom, in gratitude, and in love. Even when the filters go down.

[Banner photo by Danial Igdery on Unsplash. Inset photo by Quilia on Unsplash.]