We've all seen the teen who recently discovered cosmetics. She thinks she's ever so mature. Smugly oblivious to the foundation line under her chin and the lipstick on her front teeth, she casts a snide look to her "childish" friends--mere infants in lip-gloss and low-healed pumps. 

From her swaying perch atop stiletto heals, she can easily look down on those who haven't reached her heights of maturity.

Later on, as she ices her ankle and wipes away mascara smudges, perhaps she will realize that her less glitzy friends aren't missing out on much. In fact, they may be more mature after all.

Sometimes we act like this in the Christian Walk.  I cringe when I hear someone say, "Ah, but we are all at different places in our spiritual journey."  While the fact is true, we ARE all at different places in our walk, too often the implication is that the others just haven't reached their same level of enlightenment.

Several times I've heard people make that statement, then years later they come full circle. First they contend that a Christian really should do things ABC way; Later they decide that more MATURE Christians really should see clearly that XYZ is better; Ultimately they return to ABC, realizing that XYZ just 'overdone makeup' all along.

The teen diva with her gummy mascara thinks she is much more mature than her younger sister who wears only a touch of lip gloss.

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him. Proverbs 26:12

Oops... Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment... I think I have lipstick on my teeth...