How to grow towards emotional maturity
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for help
After Peter was anointed by the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts, grabe, nag-iba siya. He was filled with power. ’Yung dating emotional, nagkaroon bigla ng sound mind. ’Yung dating impulsive, naging emotionally-stable. In fact, naging matinding preacher, leader, man of God at hero of faith siya. Game-changer talaga ang Holy Spirit working in and through him. So invite the Holy Spirit. Grow in the Holy Spirit. Remember that,
“. . . the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control . . . . “
Galatians 5:22
Learn to deny your fleshly desires
This may be easier said than done but we can certainly learn to deny our fleshly desires. Surely not overnight, but as we practice it and become more conscious about denying our carnal impulses, we can silence the “flesh” by the grace of God. Jesus Himself said the words in Matthew 26:41 when He said that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” So talagang biblical na mahirap talagang magkaroon ng self-control lalo na’t mahina ang flesh.
Pero ’yun nga, para itong ginagawa ng mga bodybuilders sa kanilang biceps at triceps, lumalaki ang mga ito through continuous lifting at tuluy-tuloy na practice. And ganun din tayo sa spiritual: The more we practice denying the flesh, the more we gain self-control. We have to start learning to do it today. Consider the following scenarios:
- Gusto mong magalit. Deny the flesh by praying to the Holy Spirit and counting 1 to 100. Ayun, napigilan mong magalit. Na-overcome mo ’yung negative emotions mo.
- Gusto mong mainggit sa kapatid mo na may bagong damit. Pero instead na mainis, natuwa ka for her dahil alam mo na nasiyahan siya sa new dress na ibinili para sa kanya.
- Kakatanggap mo lang ng bonus or allowance mo. Nakakita ka ng bagong model ng cellphone sa mall. Gusto mong bilhin para makiuso. Pero nilabanan mo ’yung impulse na iyon kasi alam mo naman na bad investment ’yun at malalaos din naman. Instead, inabutan mo na lang ng pera ’yung parents mo at inipon mo ’yung natira for your future needs.
- Sinigawan ka pero imbes na gumanti, you took the high road and just let it go kasi alam mo na not all battles are worth fighting.
- ’Yung flesh mo gustong magyabang, pero nagpaka-mature ka at narealize mo na wala namang maidudulot na maganda ang pagiging mayabang. Ang matured na tao, mapagkumbaba.
If you practice and apply self-control every day, unti-unting magkaka-muscle ka on the inside and you will be strong enough to deny the flesh and grow emotionally. Practice lang nang practice. “Just do it,” ika nga ng Nike.
Think before you act
Isip-isip lagi at hindi lang pag may time. Isip-isip all the time. What am I saying? Huwag puro “follow your heart,” mag-isip din kasi sabi ng Bible:
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9
Deceitful daw ang puso. Kaya nga si Lord binigyan Niya din tayo ng utak. Remember, He didn’t just create us to be emotional beings. He also created us to be intellectual beings. So I suggest that you:
- Think before you speak.
- Think before you click.
- Think before you post.
- Think before you tweet.
- Think before you act.
- Think before you react.
Practice these suggestions and over time, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can “grow up” to be more like Him.
So let’s grow up. Day 1 is today. Let’s take the first step towards maturity. Kung ikaw ay lalaki, MAN up! Kung ikaw naman ay babae, WOMAN up (I know, I’m making up a word here)! This might be the fix that person you are praying for is waiting to see in you. Show some stability. Baka ito na ang hinihintay niyang makita sa ’yo—na malaki na ang ipinagbago mo.
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This is an excerpt from How To Be Yours Po? by Ru Gaviola Dela Torre, coming soon to a bookshop near you!
