Growing in Awesomeness

I have this really awesome nephew (I have a lot of awesome nieces and nephews but Gus lives close so I get to see him regularly and experience his awesomeness).  Gus is merely  21 months old but in so many ways he is much older.  He is bigger in stature than the majority of kids his age.  His ability to figure out how to be places and do things that he shouldn't is unmatched by other boys his age.  As far as I am concerned, Gus is brilliant. Now Gus is going to be getting a little brother in a few months.  He will be, I am certain, equally brilliant but he may progress at a different speed, he may grow at a different rate.  Perhaps he will walk later but talk earlier.  Perhaps he will grow at an average rate instead of the early growth spurts.  However this next little guy grows and progresses, he is going to be just as brilliant and just as awesome as Gus... just different.

Our spiritual lives our similar to the growth and maturity of children.  Sometimes people grasp spiritual concepts quickly and grow rapidly in their relationship with Jesus but there are others that may take a little longer.  It may be that someone has been living for God for a long time and they may not be as spiritually mature as someone that has just recently surrendered their life.  Our physical age or even our spiritual age does not dictate how mature we are spiritually.  Perhaps this is a redundant thought but I feel that it is important.  If we are not careful, we can start to show a lack of compassion and understanding toward those that do not progress at rate that we feel they should.  When we show that lack of compassion, understanding for those that grow more slowly, we can sow discouragement and frustration in a fertile heart.  When that discouragement and frustration grows, it does not cause spiritual growth but spiritual death.  We cannot badger anyone to grow in Christ.  It is not possible to shame anyone into a relationship with God.  There isn't anyway we can force someone to become spiritually mature.  The only thing that we can do to help them mature into spiritual awesomeness is to pray for them, love them and encourage them in Christ. 

Jude 1:22 "And of some have compassion, making a difference"

I want to encourage each of us to "make a difference" by showing compassion to those of us that are not quite as spiritually mature as you.  They will reach their own personal state of spiritual awesomeness in God's time.