Can Disappointment Be Motivation for Change?

Immaturity is a condition each person must struggle with at some level throughout life. Immaturity expresses itself in getting what you want, even to the detriment of self and others. Immaturity discounts or ignores what is unwise. Immaturity can be responsible for limiting compatibility.

What encourages struggling against immaturity is disappointment in yourself. Disappointment is caused by rejection of those who have experienced your immature behavior and have lost trust and respect for you. Failing to comply with what is normal behavior leads to others' loss of confidence.

However, disappointment within oneself can generate determination to fight against impulses to act immaturely.

Standing against immaturity is actually setting boundaries on irresponsibility. Psalm 37:3-4 implores you to “Trust in the Lord and do what is good and right, and he will give you your heart’s desire.”               

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[The Lord says,] “I will bless the person who puts his trust in me. He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending its roots to the water. It is not afraid…”

~Jeremiah 17:7-8 Good News Bible

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What Is the Root of Suspicion?

Have you noticed how secrecy gives birth to suspicion? Teenagers are known for keeping their thoughts and activities secret, which may cause parents to be concerned. Considering a person’s age, privacy should be respected except where suspicion and lack of trust are legitimate. Most individuals know instinctively when trust has been violated.

If privacy cannot be trusted, suspicion will rule the heart and mind. When suspicion is expressed in a belittling way, it will invariably create more secrecy. 

Suspicion creates anxiety that will eventually disappear when the truth is portrayed in straight-forward dialogue that is believable.

It’s important to prevent suspicion from getting out of hand. C. S. Lewis warns that suspicion creates what it suspects. Consider this truth: 'The mind can suspect deceit without good cause,' so be sure you know the truth. Listen to God’s word: “Trust in the Lord and do good … and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  

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Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.  

~Ephesians 4:32 The Message

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Power Struggles: Choose to Step Back - Part 2

Power struggles seem to be a never-ending issue. Ingrained in human nature and empowered by self-centeredness and basic insecurity, the fire is fueled in the fight for dominance. There is, however, a healthy side to conflict, but it requires those involved to be willing to communicate openly and honestly so that practical resolutions can be discovered.

God gives us power to love, hate, repent, and forgive, but he holds us accountable for how we manage conflicts and disagreements. Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of England, stated this truth: "All power is a trust, and we're accountable for its exercise." How power is exerted depends on maturity, feelings of security, and the capacity to love others.

We're created by God to be dependent in healthy, positive ways. Threats to that dependency create insecurity, which then encourages arguments. Choosing to change begins by entrusting yourself and others into God's care, which means to trust in the Lord for wisdom and to do as wisdom instructs. God then will give you the desires of your heart.