Does it seem to any of you like you're constantly getting more mature?

That sounds weird...let's see if I can make it clearer...

When I went away to college last year, I felt like I "grew up" and matured so much in the first semester! Being away from home and all just changed things... Then second semester, wow, it seemed like the growth first semester was hardly anything compared to second semester. It felt like I'd gone through a growth-spurt, and surely it would slow down soon...but no, all summer working full-time and living with Bonnie's family (it was several hundred miles from home), I matured so much again!

Then I got down here...settling in for easy school, living at home again, time for maturity to hold constant, right? No. I was just looking over "old" blog posts (from two to three months ago) and thinking, "Wow, I have changed so much since then..." and it struck me that I've felt like that for every recent season.

Does anybody else feel like every time they look at the past little while, they see immense growth? It seems to me that its going through different parts of my life, growing first one part and then another, and each one seeming so much bigger than the one before.

So yeah...just wondering if anyone else feels the same way, or for those who are a few years older than me, if maybe you felt that way around my age...but it does level out at some point.

Sure. I like to call it 'progressive maturity.'

As far as we can define maturity... I tend to think it's rather an abstract concept like love... just when we think we have it defined, just when we think we are mature, we learn that we know nothing. And I think it's going to be a life-long thing... yes, it will level out to a point, but never totally.

It reminds me of the verse about growing in grace and knowledge... there will always be room for improvement.

I know I'm older than you but I have to agree..we had this discussion not too long ago, about how there are different stages in life and seasons..I feel like I'm constantly discovering parts of myself and pushing myself to be a better person. I'm constantly evaluating myself and seeing how I can improve, what I should be doing differently..I don't know if it'll ever level off, some people are just more analytical than others

I like the idea that it's not gonna stop...like Linz's example with love that just keeps on growing...it's exciting to think that this exciting journey I'm on now isn't about to stop.

See? This is why I have friends who are older than me - then I can learn from you and know what to expect. hehe.

LOL Elisabeth often times you appear older than me to me lol

I'm even older.... ...and I can say that it still doesn't change! I feel even now over the last month, since I've stopped being a student, had to do some pretty rubbish jobs, being apart from the fiance, and been seriously money-challenged that I've grown up a lot.

yupp. i feel the sam eway. good to know it keeps going:D

Yeah, I look back at things that I used to find hard or near impossible and they're just life now. But I'm still a youngster too!

I used to think that there was a point where you 'got it' if you know what I mean... particular in the Christian walk! That it reaches a point where you know everything and life is just to be lived, no learning necessary. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

No such thing... it never gets 'easier', you never 'know it all', and gosh wouldn't life be boring if you 'got it' one day.

So yeah now I look forward to getting older, because you don't reach 35 and then 'endure' the rest of your life - every single day is a journey, a step closer to God, an opportunity to learn more... oooh its so exciting! Granted, there are stages in lives where we don't have to do things we did previously - like raising children, studying, worrying about who we're gonna marry, etc... and things pale in importance too. I used to stress about the weather a bit - 'Oh no its raining, I don't like rain, I'm blue today'. I think you learn over time to accept whatever is 'thrown' at you for the day and just roll with it... (and then somewhere down the line you lose that ability again )

Gosh, 'maturing' is such a loaded word!

Oh, you're definitely always maturing. There may be times when you feel like you're stagnating, but there's always some change going on in your life that will lead you to or prepare you for a deeper level of maturity.

yeah, I sometimes read through my older journals...and its just like woah! how could I ever think that! Or wow, I've really changed the way I think\do\ go about things. its nice. and then sometimes I see were I've seriously screwed my life up and its rather depressing and I realize I need to change back to the way I used to be.. or whatever. But, yeah I've really noticed that and also what Lee has told me that i've changed ALOT in the last two.. three years, Mostly the last two ish. I've also noticed that I think having a boyfriend or someone ( Child ect ) Really matures you.

Yes...boy/girlfriend, fiance, husband/wife, children - I think they all make your focus be more on the "big picture". Like...whether you focus on the day or on life...when you're planning a life with your significant other, you're more likely to look at life. (On the other hand, if you have a bf/gf that you're not serious with, not planning with, just trying to find the next fun Friday evening...that might contribute to immaturity. )

I would add to that and say they don't just make you look at the bigger picture of life, but also teach you to look out for someone other than yourself. Even if you've been brought up well or are naturally caring, you don't have to consider others on a day-to-day basis as much as when you have an 'other half' or a child.