Men. Intelligent.™

 

Challenge #25

Don’t start before completing Challenge #24.
If you want to join the IntelliMen Project, start from Challenge #1.

 

Challenge: Identify immaturity and develop maturity.

Explanation: Paul of Tarsus, a great man in history, said:

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1 Corinthians 13:11

One of the biggest complaints women have with regard to men these days is their immaturity… mothers who financially support adult sons, women who are looking for a man their age but only find boys dressed like men (and sometimes not even that), girlfriends who complain that their boyfriends are too emotional, wives who put up with husbands who play video games all night long.

No, they’re not being annoying and overly demanding. A lot of men really do act like children.

Don’t take me the wrong way. Having a touch of childishness once in a while is healthy, otherwise the seriousness of life would give us heart attacks in the prime of life. But just a touch is good, an more is too much. Besides, when I say immaturity, I’m mainly referring to infantile actions, feelings, thoughts, and behavior, things which are inappropriate for any man, or for a young man who’s maturing (or at least should be.)

I know we have men  from 8 to 88 doing this challenge, so it’s obvious that a boy of 12 will not have the maturity of a man of 30, who in turn will not have the maturity of a man of 65. Being mature means being well adjusted for your age and situation, like a ripening fruit. And so, all of us should desire maturity.

There comes a time when a fruit’s ripeness reaches its peak. Before or after this time, it doesn’t have the same taste. This is what an intelligent man should be like – demonstrating the right attitudes at the right time.

An IntelliMan should think, act, speak, feel and behave in a way that’s suitable to his age and position. Note, this is not just about age. A married man of 25 should not behave like a single man of 25. Same age, different situation – means different maturity levels.

So, your challenge this week is to evaluate your level of maturity and identify where you need further development.

• What kind of attitudes, thoughts, conversations, feelings and behavior, does your age and situation require of you?
• How well are you fulfilling your responsibilities?
• Are people around you feeling frustrated? Could it be that their frustration has to do with your immaturity?
• Are you satisfied with yourself, with the way that you behave in certain situations?
• What do you think God thinks of your maturity at this time? Do you think He might be trying to help you mature so that He can give you bigger blessings and responsibilities?

Don’t simply zip through these questions. Go over each one and think about the answers.

Notebook: As you’re thinking about the answers, write your thoughts in your notebook. After thinking about all the questions, reach a couple conclusions about where you need to improve your maturity and what “childish things” you need to abandon.

Official Partner: Speak to your partner of what you discovered about yourself in this challenge. Share what you decided to do about your conclusions.

Deadline: You may begin working on this task immediately. Complete it in a week and then go on to Challenge #26.

Post: After – and only after – you have completed the challenge, post your comments on the IntelliMenWorld Facebook or Twitter page, (not on your own page) and write the following:

IntelliMen Challenge #25 done: I am leaving behind childish things. (Comment further if you like.)

Links:
www.facebook.com/IntelliMenWorld
www.twitter.com/intellimenworld (when tweeting, use @intelliMenworld)

 

Verification Checklist

☐ I reflected on my level of maturity
☐ I wrote down the answers in my Notebook
☐ I spoke to my Partner about the challenge
☐ I posted my comments on Facebook/Twitter

 

Phrase:

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature. – Dave Barry