Growing Up

There comes a point in everyone's life when the light comes on. A point when you realize that time waits for no one. For some people, that point comes early. For others, it comes later on in life. Either way, you can't stay in the crib stage forever, you have to grow up. Often times we find people who, in a way, are scared to grow up. They latch on to their parents, childhood friends or anything that is familiar to them, unwilling to create a life of their own. Scared of the real world.

The reality is, the real world can be scary. Then again, it's not so much the "real world" so to speak, it's the responsibility that comes with growing up. Bills, car notes, rent, mortgage and food are just a few of the responsibilities one must take on. If we're not at a stage of maturity to handle this, we must either grow up fast or suffer the consequences of not being prepared. We can end up in debt, hungry or get to a point where we have a mental or emotional break down because of the pressures of everyday life.

In Paul's letter to the people of Corinth (1 Cor. 13:11), he says "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." More recently, Cedric the Entertainer put in more laymen terms when he said there comes a point when you realize you're a grown ass man. Whether you prefer Paul's or Cedric's way of saying it, the message is the same. As we get older and mature, there are doors that we need to close and some that need to be opened. With each year, we must get wiser, more responsible and mature.

The great Muhammed Ali perhaps said it best when he suggest "the man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." I take this quote seriously and try to apply to my everyday life. Each day I try to improve on things I know I'm weak and try to be so closed-minded on issues.

For young men, growing up can be hard. We enjoy having fun, we enjoy the lack of responsibility. There's nothing wrong with that, although some ladies may disagree. As I sat with my realtor the other day, the light bulb kind of came up as I listened to her talk about the house hunting and buying process. I was definitely opening. Also "her" maturity that "she" brings challenges me to do better.

We'll see what happens.