How did I mature relationally? This has been a long and often scary and painful journey for me. It has not been quick and easy. I am sharing with you some key individual steps that freed me to be able to mature from a relational infant and child to a relationally mature parent and elder. One nice thing about maturing is that I now better relate to everyone! Life makes so much more sense and is so much more peaceful! This meditation is number 7 in a series.
Here is Key number 7: I openly live ALL of life in front of my family and those close to me ….. Living this way is done in age appropriate stages. I am now very verbal and do the simplest of life with my grown children and my grandchildren and all my adoptees ….. They can hear my thought processes and then watch what I do, often with their help. Then I help them do it and then watch them do it ….. We all enjoy this and it bonds us in healthy ways.
This is a major step in my relational maturity. I had been raised in a family where everything was done quietly behind closed doors. Since as an infant and child I learn primarily by what I observe taking place in my family, I was at a big disadvantage in knowing how to do some of the simplest things …. Like making decisions, solving conflict, managing finances ……..
This is actually what Jesus did …. He called His disciples to “come follow Me and live with Me 24/7, and learn of Me.” They were to learn by hearing and seeing what He did every day. They didn’t just meet with Him once a week on the Sabbath for a lecture. Wow …. As a child I raised my kids wrong and my wife was left alone …… If I had a do over …….!!!!