Craving Solid Food Instead of the Bottle

I always promised myself I wouldn't be one of those people that shared pictures of their kids and grand kids. It used to annoy me when people would whip out those tattered photos as if the world just couldn't wait to stop and stare at the strangers in the snapshot. So here I am sharing a picture of the new love of my life...our grandchild Reese. She's 9 months old and absolutely captivating.

As I watch her grow and interact with the world, I am struck by the process of maturing. When she was born she couldn't function without constant care and nourishing. She mostly slept her life away in a daze of sucking and nuzzling. As she has grown, she can now hold her own bottle, move around independently, and her doctor has said she can eat solid food for every meal. Gasp... She's not a little baby anymore. She's in a new stage of her life.

I'm reminded how God desires for us to grow up too. It's amazing how many grown-ups walk around with spiritual pacifiers still stuck in their mouths. I know- because I was one of them! Wanting to grow up and mature, but not sure I could live without my pacifier in hand.
The apostle Paul says "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of God, and have come to need milk, and not solid food."

Goodness knows there's nothing worse than wanting to bite into a delicious sandwich, but instead needing to suck your food out of a bottle. There comes a point when we have to decide to grow up spiritually. I remember when the desire to be fed and entertained on a spiritual level began to turn into a desire to grow, shed off immature behaviors and habits, and love others. My habits and behaviors with food constantly got in the way of maturing because of the mental space they took up in my head. The constant focus on food didn't leave room for true growth and adventure with the Lord.

When I began to shed the immaturity- reading and studying God's word, letting Him redefine and recreate my babyish ways- a mature woman began to form. OK- so I still have my moments of "teen-age" incoherence at times...but the pay-off for maturing is remarkable. Solid food always beats baby food jars of green peas and sweet potatoes. We can exchange our pacifiers for true security and identity.
Blessings!
Gari