Spiritual Development

A huge part of what it means to be a grown-up is to know how to stand on your own two feet. As you mature you ought to be able to know how to pay your bills, earn an income, build healthy relationships, and learn how to effectively handle conflicts in relationships, trusting God to mature you as you grow in sanctification. A deepening executive function, meaning the ability to make plans and then take steps to execute those plans to achieve your goals, ought to come with growing up. While it’s important to avoid codependence, healthy independence does not mean that you don’t or cannot rely on others in life. It’s impossible to go through life without some measure of dependence on others. Our lives are so interwoven with others’ lives that we cannot live an isolated existence, and it’s not healthy to do so. Healthy independence allows you to make your own decisions, but to seek wisdom from others because you understand your limits. This matters all the more when it comes to God and how we live our lives. We cannot flourish without trusting others. Being in loving relationships with others means entrusting ourselves to them. You can’t cultivate intimacy without being vulnerable, and you can’t be vulnerable without trusting the other person with yourself. Our relationships and lives cannot thrive without trust, but the key is whom you trust. Some people break our trust, and that can make us bitter and unwilling to trust again. The one who deserves our wholehearted trust is God. God is trustworthy, but it doesn’t come easy for many people to trust Him. Disappointment and hurt can lead a person to distrust God. It is important to remember that no matter how we feel, God always keeps His word. God [...]