After going through the other questions, my results showed that I was two-and-a-half years younger than my calendar age.  Yay! And I was told that knowing my cholesterol level and blood pressure may knock a few more years off, as well as not talking on my cell phone when I drive (which I  admitted I did occasionally)  and eating more veggies.

The test got me thinking about what I need to do to continue to live a healthy lifestyle, and it also left me wondering about my spiritual age.  While I have not found a test online to gauge such a thing, I know for sure I don’t want to be any younger than I am.  I want to continue to grow in spiritual maturity and in my faith.  In this area, I wouldn’t mind at all if a test found I have faith beyond my years. (I say this cautiously, recognizing that our faith increases when we go through trials and trust God all the way.) 

Through years of Bible study and listening to sermons, I’ve come to know that there are certain things I must do to continue to develop spiritually.  Among them, leading a disciplined prayer life, reading my Bible daily, meditating on God’s Word and then applying that Word to how I treat others and  how I live my life.  Listening to God has become more important to me than petitioning Him, another sign that I’ve reached another level of maturity.

For many Christians, our growth is demonstrated in how our lives reflect these attributes found in the Scriptures – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Some days I am better than others at showing evidence of this fruit of the Spirit in my dealings with other people or in how I handle life circumstances. 

In December, the Barna Group released the results of a study that said, in essence, that most people do not conduct an effective and periodic measurement of spirituality.  Pastors interviewed for the study said that spiritual immaturity “is one of the most serious problems facing the Church.”

 While we worry about our physical development, we sometimes give very little attention to whether we are growing deeper in our faith.

 “Americans have an almost insatiable curiosity about themselves and how they stack up against others. Yet, in the spiritual realm, that same level of curiosity is much less apparent,” the study’s authors said. “Perhaps it is because of the lack of tools for such measurement or even the absence of motivation to grow or to deepen their relationship with God.”

If you took a test today, what would it say about your spiritual age? Are you growing?

Related posts:

1. Taking time to refocus
2. Health check-ups needed for body and soul
3. Faithfully using our time