Eugene Peterson on "Perpetuating Our Adolescence"

"...we often let the big ideas, the majestic vistas of salvation, the grand visions of God's work in the world, and the great opportunities for making an impact in the name of Jesus distract us from taking with gospel seriousness the unglamorous ordinary. A person who is endowed with charisma, extraordinary motivational gifts, and organizational energy may tend to pull away from the tedium of the dailiness to the large, the visionary, the influential-- the eternal verities-- in a way that is magnetic and virtually irresistible.

But when that pull is indulged, the consequences are disastrous and virtually guarantee perpetual adolescence. And the people we spend most of our time with, our family members and fellow workers, bear the brunt of suffering our immaturity. Men and women who achieve public acclaim are especially vulnerable. Too many prominent leaders in church and government, in business and university, writers and entertainers, are infamously infantile and disappointing in intimate relationships."

-- Eugene Peterson in "Practice Resurrection"

Convicting, isn't it? It was for me.