Maturity Checkpoints

I'm learning that maturity doesn't always come with age. What does it really mean to be mature?

Photo by punchstock.com

Here's an excerpt from a lecture given by Charles Swindoll -

You know you’re mature:

• When your concern for others outweighs your concern for yourself
• When the presence of danger and evil is felt before it’s obvious
• When there’s more than knowledge, there’s wisdom
• When there’s more than strength, there’s stability
• When there are more than high ideals, there is the discipline to carry them out
• When there is not only an understanding of the tasks of life, but a willingness to share the responsibility

Maturity is the ability to do a job whether you’re supervised or not. It is the ability to finish a job once it’s started, to carry money without spending it, and to have the ability to bear injustice without getting even. Lastly, it is being willing to change once convinced that correction is in order.

I believe it is not just one of those points, but all that was given. And just like love or a good stew that needed a long simmer, maturity shouldn't be rushed, but it shouldn't be intentionally delayed either.

I hope we're all on the way there  =)