I had a son who was tall and stout for his age. His older brother tended toward the smaller side during the developing years. Often people mistook the younger son as the older one and were surprised when his behavior was that of a two year old, and not a four year old.
The community of believers can make the same mistake. They note a teenager that displays evidence of maturity beyond his or her years. The pressure builds to give that individual more and more responsibility until the young person begins to either buckle under the pressure and give up all together, or become filled with pride, looking down on others.
It is good to give young people responsibilities. At the age of twelve I started teaching six to eight year olds after church so their parents could spend time at the altar praying. It would not have been appropriate for me to teach adults (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Peter 5:5-6).
We must follow godly principles in recognizing leaders.
