My son just turned 7 this week. 7 years old. In the large scheme of life it’s not old at all. However, it hit me one day driving him to school in the morning – he is already past the 1/3 mark toward adulthood. In less than 11 years now my son will be considered a full grown man. But that caused me to pause and ask a very important question: Will my son be mature enough to lead his own life well in less than 11 years?

That questions scares me. It puts a heavy responsibility on my heart. I know that one of my main roles as a father is to ensure, to the best of my abilities, that my son is ready to lead his own life by, if not before the age of 18.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

But there is more to maturity than simply being ready physically to live on your own. I would argue the much greater challenge is will my son be mature spiritually? Spiritual maturity is a difficult pursuit. Often times it’s even difficult to grasp what is meant by spiritual maturity. What is it I actually would want for my son (or anyone for that matter) and what would it look like if he were spiritually mature? That is why I enjoyed Jim Putnam’s article “How Can You Recognize a Mature Disciple?“

Jim gives 5 great indicators for spiritual maturity. Are there any you would add? As always enjoy your weekend and if you cannot be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day (in light of the Corona Virus threat), at least reach out to another follower of God to discuss the word of God.