Like a lot of things, it appears we may have gotten the whole idea of “adult” wrong. We think of adult as a permissive category; adults get to do whatever they want. Adult movies can show whatever they want. Adult night clubs are the same way. “Adult” means there aren’t many constraints, so keep the kiddies away.
Paul didn’t see it that way. He wrote the church in Corinth, in 1 Corinthians 14:10: “Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.”
That church was full of men and women who thought they could do what they want. They were living that permissive idea. And Paul pulled them up short. “No,” he said, “little kids think like that. You need to think like adults.”
Turns out God’s plan for adults is self-control. It’s being thoughtful toward others. It’s letting go of our dependence so we can become interdependent. We need each other to build the kingdom.
I think it might be time for a lot of us to grow up. Adult doesn’t mean anything goes. It means putting yourself last.
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