As soon as you stop enduring, you stop maturing.

This is why even addiction counselors will say,

at whatever age that you start self-medicating,

let's say with drugs or alcohol,

that's the age at which you cease to mature emotionally.

So let's say you're 16, and trial comes,

you're like, I'm just gonna get high, I'm gonna get drunk,

I'm just not gonna deal with it.

You can be 56 years of age, physically, 16 years of age emotionally.

Because the only way to be maturing is to be enduring your trials. The Bible has this crazy line.

It's a mindblower in Hebrews. It says that Jesus was made perfect through his suffering.

What? Jesus was perfect before his suffering. Yes. And what it's talking about there is an experiential knowledge.

There are things that you know in theory

that then you really know when you experience them in reality.

You're like, I know that God hears and answers prayer.

And then he does, you're like, now I know that he does.

I know that I know that he does.

God rescues the godly from trial.

You're like, I believe that.

And then you're in a trial and you're like, he rescued me.

Now I know that I know.

Your faith is in a faithful God.

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