Paul of Tarsus said, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I become a man, I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13: 11).
America's former president, Barrack Obama in his inaugural speech on the 20th of January 2009, borrowed Paul's statement. He remarked thus, "We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to put aside childish things."
Being young is not an excuse to be childish. This seemed to be the opinion of former President Obama who obviously saw immaturity as one of the factors responsible for the country's season of agonizing existence.
In a similar fashion, the agony faced by a good number of us in our relationships seem to a by-product of childish attitudes.
Best selling author and preacher, T. D. Jakes, says "We court disaster when we carry childish perceptions into adult relationships". If you are a child or you are in a relationship with a child, there will surely be many rivers to cross. I would like us to note here that a child in the context of this discourse has virtually nothing to do with age but much more to do with attitude.
One can be a fifty-year-old boy or girl and on the other hand, another can be a twenty-year-old man or woman as the case may be. Relationship demands maturity. Hence; if you still have loads of childish attitudes, beware or relationships!
So, what are childish attributes? Let's highlight a few.....
. A child does everything (good or bad) to get attention.
. A child believes he or she must be served.
. A child can endure little or no pressure.
. A child is selfish and unconcerned about other people's feelings.
. A child is indecisive about many things (even trivial one's)
. A child does not have direction or goals.
. A child will always want to be pampered and praised.
. A child believes he or she owes nobody and so, exhibits no sense of obligation or responsibility.
. A child has a poor sense of value.
. A child believes that everyone else owes him whatever he wants.
. A child blames others for his mistakes.
. A child has a poor sense of danger.
If you're convicted, confront it. The fight to put aside childish things is profitable. Engage in it.