“A Mature Life – A Heart That Has Learned to Feel”

[Hubi]

Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends,

have you ever experienced a moment when you suddenly felt:
I am no longer the same person as before…?

Perhaps after a difficult trial…
after a loss…
or after a time in which Jehovah quietly shaped you…

You look back — and realize:
you have become softer… more understanding… deeper…

And that is exactly what this is about:
A mature life.

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Right at the beginning we read a thought from the Bible that sounds like a gentle call:

“Teach us to number our days,
so that we may acquire a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12)

What does that mean?

Jehovah does not want us to simply live…
day after day… year after year…

He wants us to understand how precious each individual day is.

Because when we begin to “number” our days…
we also begin to feel them.

Then an ordinary moment suddenly becomes precious:
a conversation…
a smile…
a quiet prayer…

And slowly… very quietly…
something begins to grow within us:

A wise heart.

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But how does such a heart develop?

Life goes up and down…
joy and pain alternate…

And if we are honest…
we all know that.

There are days when everything feels easy.
And then… suddenly…
a message comes… a disappointment… a worry…

And we might ask ourselves:
Why does Jehovah allow this?

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Dear brothers and sisters…

Perhaps because these very highs and lows
shape us into the person
he sees in us.

Not perfect…
but genuine.

Not strong by our own strength…
but carried by him.

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I would like to give you an illustration:

Imagine a tree…

A young tree — just planted.

If there is only sunshine all the time…
no wind… no rain…

then it grows…
but its roots remain shallow.

But when storms come…
when the wind pulls at it…
when rain pours down on it…

then something invisible happens:

Its roots grow deeper.

It clings, as it were, to the ground…
it becomes stronger… more stable…

And one day it stands there…
calm… firm…
and nothing can easily bring it down.

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Is it not similar with us?

The difficult moments…
the ones we would never have chosen…

are often exactly the moments
in which our “roots” grow deeper.

Our trust…
our patience…
our love…

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Another thought says:

“Direct your attention to yourself…
and wherever you find yourself, let go of yourself there.”

That is not easy.

Because it means being honest with oneself.

To recognize:
Here I still need to grow…
Here Jehovah may continue to work on me…

But that is exactly maturity.

Not saying: “I am already good enough”…
but:
“Jehovah, continue to shape me.”

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And then comes this beautiful thought:

“I only learned to truly love life
since I know what I am living for.”

What a deep statement…

Many people live…
but they do not know what for.

They search for meaning…
for stability…
for something that lasts…

But we?

We are allowed to know:

We live for Jehovah.
For his love.
For his future.

And that changes everything.

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I would like to give you one more illustration:

Imagine someone holding a piece of clay in their hands.

Unformed… unremarkable…

But then an experienced potter begins to work on it.

He presses…
he shapes…
sometimes it almost feels like too much pressure…

But he does not stop.

Why?

Because he sees something
that is not yet visible.

A beautiful vessel.

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Dear brothers and sisters…

Jehovah is that potter.

And we…
we are in his hands.

Sometimes we feel the pressure…
sometimes we do not understand why something happens…

But Jehovah already sees
what we will become.

A person with a mature heart.

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And how is such a mature life shown?

A mature person treats others and themselves
with understanding and patience.

That is so beautiful…

Because maturity does not mean being perfect.

Maturity means:

• to forgive more quickly
• to judge more slowly
• to feel more deeply
• to react more lovingly

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Perhaps you remember situations
in which you would have reacted very differently in the past…

more easily hurt…
more quickly disappointed…

And today?

Perhaps you pause for a moment…
breathe…
pray…
and react differently…

That is no coincidence.

That is spiritual maturity.

That is Jehovah working within you.

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And then comes this final, so comforting thought:

A mature person can accept the ups and downs of life…
with a certain calmness…

And despite everything…

joy and gratitude prevail.

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Is that not beautiful?

That does not mean there are no more tears…

But it means:

Tears no longer have the final word.

Because deep in the heart something remains:

Gratitude.

For Jehovah…
for his patience…
for his love…

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Jehovah does not expect us to be perfect immediately.

But he rejoices
when we grow…

when we learn…

when we mature…

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And perhaps we can say in prayer:

“Jehovah…
teach me to number my days…
shape my heart…
help me to become a person
who truly loves…”

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Because in the end…

a mature life is not a perfect life…

but a life
that has been touched by Jehovah.

A heart
that has learned to trust…

to feel…

to love…

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And such a heart…

Jehovah will never overlook.