If you are a parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent, sibling, or anyone who is around babies, you know that learning to eat solid food can be hard and messy. I am an aunt to four kids under 3, so you can imagine our dinner table (and we) end up pretty messy at the end of every meal.
Learning to eat solid food is a part of life. Yet, it starts out messy (and can continue to be messy). It isn’t something we are born doing. We have to learn how to hold the spoon and get the spoon from the plate to our mouths. Just recently, I was with my 2-year-old nephew eating dinner, and sure enough, his spoon was backward, and his food was going everywhere but his mouth!
Our faith journey can be the same—it is messy and doesn’t always come naturally.
In our reading today, the last verse (5:14) says, “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” It is through training that we learn to eat, and it is through training that we grow in our faith and are able to then share our faith with others.
How is your training going? Are you actively pursuing a relationship with God through prayer, Scripture, worship, and community?
Like anything you are training for, it doesn’t happen overnight. My nephew has made progress in using a spoon, yet he isn’t at the formal-dining level quite yet.
Your faith journey is never complete. We are constantly training to better know and understand God and his word. And God is always revealing more and more to those who pursue him.
In your training to grow closer to God, know that you are not alone. Your training does not earn God’s love—that is a free gift that’s already been given to you. God loves you and he wants a relationship with you. Keep seeking. Keep up your training.
Reflection:
- Where would you say you are in your training to grow your faith (just started, been at it a while but not seeing results, getting stronger, etc.)?
- What tools are helping you grow closer to God? What tools could you implement more of (Scripture, prayer, worship, community, etc.)?
- Why is having a relationship with God important to you?