Milk - it does a body good!

One of the greatest joys of my life was giving birth to my children and then nursing them while they grew and developed.  I think that the body's ability to give sustenance to offspring is one of the most precious things in all of God's creation.  God's thoughtful attention to every detail is astounding.  I remember my own babies yearning for food when it was time.  The body knows when it needs nourishment.

As we get older, we begin to act not on natural cravings but on desires.  We eat what isn't necessary and crave what isn't the best.  But somewhere deep inside, our bodies still know what we need.  We were designed that way.  In fact, our spirits are designed to crave what is beneficial, as well. Commercialism is designed to play on our weaknesses.  Marketing aims directly at what we desire vs. what we truly need. 

Late night ad campaigns show piping hot cheeseburgers or stringy, cheesy pizzas.  When our bodies are at their most vulnerable, the commercials begin.  The same thing happens spiritually.  In our society we are attacked at every turn.  Scantily clad women appear on every commercial that targets a man, and men with perfect abs sell products to women.  The ad campaigns target our weaknesses, and a war for our spiritual health ensues.

Just like those late-night burger ads, though, when I have eaten a healthy supper and been filled, those ads don't even begin to bother me.  The same thing applies to the spiritual temptations that exist.  The Bible says, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."(I Peter 2:2) The spiritual milk that is so necessary to our lives is the Word of God - the Bible.  We should look to this word as the food of our existence.  We should eat it every day.  Becoming creatures of godly habit goes a long way towards deflecting the enemy's attacks.

I don't want to remain a baby.  Just like I wouldn't want to remain a baby physically, lying on my back and screaming for my every need, I don't want to be like this in my spiritual life.  I want to be able to grow up - to reach a place where I can turn and help the ones around me who are in need of food.  We are of no good to the people around us if we are incapable of feeding ourselves and helping to provide for the needs of others.  Babies are cute...to a point.  There comes a time in every child's life where the baby talk must end.  The tantrums are no longer acceptable.  And there comes a time in every spiritual life where we must be strong.  We cannot go on forever relying on the continuous counsel of others.  We need to get to a place where we can feast on the Word of God, hear His voice and make wise decisions with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to grow up in our salvation. 

I loved nurturing my children, but I was so very glad when they were weaned.  What a blessing to raise healthy children who could feed themselves!  I am sure that God longs for us to drink the milk of His Word - but I am equally sure that He is pleased when we get to a place where our teeth can sink into the meat of mature fellowship with Him.