Jehovah expects us to be ready to forgive those who hurt us. (Ps. 86:5; Luke 17:4; Eph. 4:32) We may be deeply hurt because of what someone says or does to us, especially if that person is a close friend or family member. (Ps. 55:12-14) At times, the emotional pain we suffer can be likened to being stabbed. (Prov. 12:18) We may try to suppress or ignore our hurt feelings. But doing so might be like getting stabbed and then leaving the knife in the wound. Similarly, we cannot expect our hurt feelings to get better if we simply ignore them. When someone offends us, our initial reaction may be to get angry. The Bible acknowledges that we may become wrathful. However, it warns against allowing that emotion to dominate us. (Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26) Why? Because anger seldom leads to good results. (Jas. 1:20) Remember, getting angry is a reaction, but remaining angry is a choice. w25.02 15 ¶4-6

Jesus illustrated the foolishness of storing up money without being “rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21) No one knows what tomorrow will bring. (Prov. 23:4, 5; Jas. 4:13-15) We face a particular challenge as followers of Christ. Jesus said that we must be ready to “give up” all our belongings to be his disciples. (Luke 14:33, ftn.) First-century Christians in Judea accepted such a loss with joy. (Heb. 10:34) In modern times, many brothers have had to sacrifice their financial security because of refusing to give allegiance to a political system. (Rev. 13:16, 17) What has helped them to do that? They have absolute confidence in Jehovah’s promise: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” (Heb. 13:5) We do our best to plan for our future needs, and if unexpected events befall us, we trust in Jehovah’s support. w25.03 29 ¶13-14

Jehovah does not expect us to grow to maturity on our own. Those who serve as shepherds and teachers in the Christian congregation are prepared to help us in becoming “full-grown” in a spiritual sense, “attaining the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13) Jehovah also provides his holy spirit to help us have “the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:14-16) Further, God inspired the writing of the four Gospels to show us how Jesus thought, spoke, and acted during his earthly ministry. By imitating Jesus’ way of thinking and acting, you can reach your goal of Christian maturity. But in order to advance to maturity, we must also move “beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ,” that is, basic Christian teachings. w24.04 4-5 ¶11-12