I Want My Bottle
“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others.
Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.“
Hebrews 5:12,14
I wish you all had the privilege of meeting my little grandson, River. He is full of life, going wide open every second that he is awake. He has a very strong will determined to get what he wants. Trust me. He lets everyone know what he does and doesn’t want. Sitting down to eat seems to be a waste of time for him. Food is unimportant but he still loves his bottle of milk even though he is three years old.
When things don’t go his way, he cries for his bottle. When he is sleepy and tired, he wants his bottle. When he is mad, he demands his bottle. Milk bottle is his favorite thing. Sometimes it is the only way to hush him. On a particular late night, the conversation was about no more bottles and using the Sippy cup for milk tomorrow. My husband cracked up the next morning when River entered the room, pointed his little finger and announced, “No Sippy cup today! No Sippy cup!” The entire family plays all sorts of food games just trying to get him to eat some nourishment. I enjoyed watching his siblings (who are 10 and 8) attempt all the food games they knew to get him to open wide.
He was delighted to participate in the helicopter game, but just before the fork landed on the runway of his tongue, he would clinch his lips and turn away. If he missed the rhythm and it made it past the lips, as soon as he was aware, out came the food. His mom was not bothered by it all, because she knows he will eat when he is hungry. She also has fewer worries with number three.
How many times do we clinch our teeth to God? We just want the easy stuff, the milk. We cry to have our way. We like being the baby and really don’t want to grow up. The games are fun and we will seek to control as long as possible.
Paul addressed thisproblem in Hebrews 12 when he spoke of the difference between milk and meat of the word. We enjoy the soothing of the milk, but we must mature and grow up in the things of the Lord. He feeds us what we need to grow and mature. He is preparing us for the days ahead and knows we need to be nourished, fed and strong.
Lord, show us where we are still hanging on to the milk and give us desire for the meat. Let us put aside our childish ways and grow to full maturity.