PUBERTAS

May 26
4 min read

Puberty is derived from the Latin word pubertas, meaning "the age of maturity." I was thinking about how amazing God is in the way He designed human beings and the reproductive system. Let's begin with a simple science lesson. For reproduction to happen, an egg from a woman and a sperm from a man must come together to form a baby. Even with advanced AI and biotechnology, a human baby still requires genetic material from reproductive cells which is an egg and sperm, or laboratory-created equivalents derived from cells. AI itself cannot create a baby.

What science can do today includes:

IVF (fertilizing an egg and sperm in a laboratory),
Using donor sperm or donor eggs,
Experimental research where ordinary cells are transformed into sperm-like or egg-like cells in animals.

However, a full human pregnancy without any egg or sperm does not currently exist in real-world medicine.

Now, although the foundations of the reproductive system are present from birth, they do not become fully functional until puberty. Girls are born with immature egg cells in their ovaries, while boys do not begin producing sperm until puberty. Before puberty, the reproductive system has not matured enough to support reproduction. In the same way, a child is born with potential. The capacity for who they may become already exists, but it has not yet been fully revealed. As they grow and mature, what was once hidden begins to manifest at the appropriate time. This can serve as an illustration of our spiritual lives.

We are all born with God-given potentials that may remain hidden for a season before they are revealed. In the book of Jeremiah, God says: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV). Jeremiah was born with a prophetic calling. The calling existed before anyone could see it, but it became evident in God's appointed time. Time is indeed a revealer of all things.

PUBERTY IS A TURNING POINT

Puberty is the stage when a child's body begins changing into an adult body because of hormones. In a spiritual sense, I would define puberty as: "The stage when a person comes into the realisation of the gifts, purpose, and plans God has placed within them." That moment becomes a turning point in their life. I want to use the story of Jesus to explain this. When Jesus was born to Mary, He was already destined to save the world whether people recognized it or not. Yet His purpose was not immediately manifested at birth to all. At the age of twelve, we read: "Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions." (Luke 2:46 NLT). For the sake of this illustration, this can be viewed as a type of spiritual puberty. It is one of the first moments where we become aware of Jesus publicly demonstrating wisdom and understanding beyond His years. It also suggests that by this age, Jesus possessed a clear awareness of His identity and relationship with His Heavenly Father. But what happened next is what I want us to focus on.

After this event, Jesus returned home with His parents and remained under their authority. The next major appearance of His public ministry came around the age of thirty. This teaches us something important. Just because a boy or girl reaches puberty does not mean they are immediately ready to become parents. There is still a process of growth, maturity, learning, and preparation.

Likewise, Jesus understood His identity, yet He did not rush ahead of God's timing. He submitted Himself to a period of preparation before stepping fully into His public ministry. If you rush things, they become premature. And premature manifestation happens when someone discovers a gift and immediately begins operating in it simply because they can, without allowing God to develop their character, wisdom, and understanding.

Everything needs time to grow. You must first discover it, then develop it, understand it, and mature in it before fully revealing it to the world. The moment you discover your purpose is not necessarily the moment you should publicly express it. Rather, it is the moment you become more careful. It is the moment you begin learning, preparing, and accepting the responsibility that comes with that calling.

Jumping into something simply because you have the ability to do it can be costly if you lack the maturity and understanding required to sustain it. Time is a revealer of all things.

Everything is a process. Although the seed is already within you, time must still play its role. Be patient. Mature. Grow. Allow God to prepare you for the purpose He has placed inside you. Then, when the appointed time comes, He will use you in the way He always intended. And you will experience the beauty of becoming who He created you to be. May God bless you, and may He give you understanding as you grow and mature into the things He has called you to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.