The Pulpit Speaks: September 12, 1959

An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” — I Cor. 13:11

How mature are you? I wonder how many of us ask ourselves that question. All about is daily we see evidence of immaturity. Unfortunately, for many of us, we feel that, because we have reached our twenty-first birthday, we are mature. Nothing could be further from the truth. It takes more than the mere passing of your twenty-first birthday to make you a full grown or matured individual. The tragic thing about the whole matter is that far too many of us think that because we have reached a degree of maturity in one area or another, we are mature in all areas.

In this verse, Paul makes it known that in the development of man, we pass through stages that should make us better day by day. At every point in human development, each day, week, month, or year should evidence some degree of maturity in all of us. Life is so designed that under normal conditions, each of us will automatically grow. Sometimes some of us mature slower than others, but we mature nonetheless.

Paul was saying, in so many words, that the man should be a vast improvement over the boy. Through varied experiences maturity is inevitable. The childish dreams cherished by many of us vanish in thin vapor into a land of nothingness as many of us labor in the world of delusions. With the rise of realities in each of our lives, we mature. Many times we cannot account for the maturity, but it takes place nonetheless.

Not only is it true that we encounter physical growth in our onward march to maturity but in other areas — moral, intellectual, cultural, and mental –must, of necessity, take place. All about us now we see evidence of people failing to mature as should be expected of all of us. There are those individuals among us who have failed in the ability to discipline themselves to the point that they are able to perform to the best of which man is capable. Only to the point that man matures to the point that he is able to dedicate himself to the better things of life can we say that he is mature.

Needless to say, growth brings about change. Paul says with the arrival of maturity, I spoke differently, I thought differently and I understood differently. Activity on a higher plane is in keeping with maturity. No one can tell me that he is mature and has the same prejudices he had twenty years ago. No one can tell me that he is mature and still has not risen above the plane of hating people. No one can tell me that he has grown up and is still at the same intellectual, moral and spiritual basis from which he is supposed to have started years ago.

Sometime ago, I read an article relative to the growth of man. The writer concluded that man has failed to grow when he does not have the “universal” mind. In his idea of the “universal” mind, he spoke of a people who were more concerned about others than themselves. He spoke of people who were developed to the point that they were willing to lose themselves in those things that would benefit humanity rather than themselves. These are the people whom we can say have matured. Unless we have this outlook on life, we just have not matured.

We could go on further and say that people who are mature are also people who have developed a sense of responsibility. Daily, marriages, family life, and political activities are going on the blink because they have gotten in the hands of people who are immature. Our world is slowly getting to the place where there is no place for immaturity. In order that men might make their greatest and noblest contributions to their day and time, they must grow up! This is imperative. We cannot expect boys and girls to do men’s and women’s work. They must grow up and in doing so, they will be able to assume responsibilities, make decisions, and man the world that is just around the corner.