When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” In this sentence from 1 Corinthians, it sounds as if Paul, not God, is guiding his own growth toward spiritual acuity. As a North American, in a culture that expects me to be independent, to pick myself up “by my bootstraps,” to forge ahead despite the odds, I might read this verse assuming that I’m supposed to do it all on my own, like a modern-day Marlboro man.
We know from his letters, however, that Paul was a Spirit-filled person; I’m sure he readily admitted the Spirit’s role in both his conversion and in his growth, even if it’s not clear in this verse. He did not grow by himself. How, then, do we, as Paul did, experience the Spirit nudging and guiding us along?
Like Paul, my story at first might look like I gained my success by myself. From the time I was little, I strove to be as independent as I could. My mom told me that when I was not yet 6 months old I refused to drink from a bottle; I wanted a cup. Although I didn’t have the words for it, I think I wanted to be self-sufficient. I can’t speak for my siblings, but my sense is that both of my parents taught us to take care of ourselves. As we grew up, we had chores to do in and outside the house. We weren’t paid allowances; these tasks were our contributions to the family and home.
Eventually, we were allowed to get jobs. My brother and I had a paper route that started with nearly 80 houses, and we built it up to more than 120 houses: We placed the newspapers inside the screen doors and never missed a day. When my sisters helped, we gave them an allowance. With our Christmas tips we bought our family gifts and a special present for our home: the first colored TV on the block. We were self-made boys!
But something else was going on. In subtle ways, we were also learning to work together. Today, children in school work together on projects or homework. Not in my day. Maybe band or sports taught this collectivist sense of working together, but I belonged to neither. Aside from my family, I learned to work with others through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. And I’ve taken these learned skills to the ministry I do today.
This same communal way of working together is reflected in scripture. When we look to the scriptures, we don’t find any reference to the strong, independent, “do it my way” approach. Rather, the scriptures have a collectivist sense, an approach of engaging one another to find the way.
It’s springtime, a season for growth, whether of flowers, children, maturity, wellness, or something else. It’s certainly a season for growth spiritually. We’re also celebrating the resurrection of Jesus this month. Jesus didn’t die for himself alone nor did Jesus rise for himself alone. Jesus died for all his siblings. We say he took our sins and put them on the cross. And when he rose from the dead, his risen life raised all the dead from the beginning of time. As Paul was Spirit-filled, even more was Jesus. Jesus wasn’t a Lone Ranger; he was there for us. He brought us along.
As we move into springtime, take time for yourself to refresh your beginnings, but remember your call to bring others with you. Follow the example of scripture to learn how to work together and engage one another to find the way along this path of life’s holiness. Like Mary at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:39), listen to him, learn from him, grow in love with him, but remember, you’re doing this with others gathered at his feet. As with Martha, busy with taking care of Jesus, do your best work, have complete confidence in your ability to please him, but remember, engage others in the process, invite others to share in the chores.
On Easter, we can say, “Jesus redeemed me,” but I think he prefers to hear, “Jesus redeemed us.” It’s the Spirit nudging us closer together. We are all together on the journey, faithfully following Christ.
This article also appears in the April 2026 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 91, No. 4, page 9). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
Image: Unsplash/Nigel Cohen
Add comment