Spiritual Growth
If we are honest, we will have to admit that there are some ways in which we are fairly mature and other ways we are not (Gal 5:16). For instance, we might be very caring toward strangers and friends but be angry and argumentative with our spouse. Instead of being humble and seeking to serve them as we do our friends, we are proud because we want to be right and get our way. We can have faith that the Lord will heal one of our relationships but normally worry about money. All of us are mixtures of various degrees of maturity and immaturity.
Though God loves us as we are, He does call us to be more mature (Mt 5:48). How do we do this? We stay humble (1 Pet 5:5-6). We are dependent on Him (Phil 2:13) by seeking His will in every area of our life (Eph 5:15-18). When suffering comes that cannot be avoided, we welcome it as a gift and opportunity (Phil 1:29). After all, “We are never ripe till we have been made so by suffering” (Henry Ward Beecher).
In addition, we grow by continually committing ourselves to doing His will (Ps 37:5). The maturing Christian does not compartmentalize his or her Christian life by living as a faithful believer on Sunday but living by a different set of standards the rest of the week. Such a believer recognizes that every aspect of life is to be governed by faith (Rom 1:17, NLT).
In these ways we become more mature and of greater service to others. They are able to be better nourished by us (2 Cor 1:4). This pleases our Heavenly Father and brings glory to Him.
When God wants a couple or family to alter course, the revelation is normally clear.