Since becoming a parent I have found myself saying things I never expected to have to say…
’Please don’t pick your nose with my finger’
‘Don’t you dare lick Gary’
‘Felt tip pens are not for drawing on bottoms’.
Sometimes I forget that my children are relatively new to being human…they don’t have 35 years experience so they need guidance sometimes on what is appropriate and what isn’t. It is my job as their parent to walk alongside them and teach them. Thankfully I am not doing this alone, I have a husband, family and friends who are all supporting and playing their part in helping raise Zoe and Keziah.
Now, it’s one thing to tell my three year old not to lick our friend who has come for tea but if I’m still having to tell her that when she is 13 or 30 then we have a bigger concern on our hands. This is what Paul was saying to the church in Corinth when he wrote his 1st letter to them. In chapter 3 he says:
“Brothers and sisters, when I was with you I found it impossible to speak to you as those who are spiritually mature people, for you are still dominated by the mind-set of the flesh. And because you are immature infants in Christ, I had to nurse you and feed you with “milk,” not with the solid food of more advanced teachings, because you weren’t ready for it.”
Paul was despairing that the church in Corinth, despite having received some of the basic teachings of Christ, and having made commitments to live a certain way were not digging deep into their relationship with God and learning more from those around them, but beginning to form sides and state their preferences as to who they thought was the best teacher or the most important. They were behaving like spiritual 3 year olds when actually they should have matured past that stage. Paul is frustrated that he is having to go back to basics and re-teach them the foundations of the gospel again.
Don’t read this wrong and come away thinking it isn’t okay to be a baby believer (metaphorically). If you are new to the faith or you are just beginning to explore what a relationship with Jesus is all about then explore away!! Paul loves to encourage new believers in their faith…what he is frustrated about is those who don’t bother to grow.
If, having told Zoe that tongues are not for licking people, she continued to try and lick those she was comfortable with it would be very frustrating (and frankly really gross!). She wouldn’t be exercising her ability to control her impulses, she wouldn’t be exploring other ways of connecting with people and showing them they mean a lot to her. She wouldn’t be growing up!
What Paul does, and what we hope to do with Zoe and Keziah is point it all back to God! Only God gives the growth. Paul isn’t saying you need to study me more and do as I say, although he was a good example for them to follow to begin with. He is saying get to know God more and you will receive direct from the grower himself. I’m not telling Zoe exactly how to behave – goodness knows my way of showing affection isn’t always the best, but what I am trying to do is lead her, by example to begin with, but ultimately to lead her to a point where she can know God and receive directly from the grower.
If you are new to the faith and want to explore more of what it all means we would love to hear from you and give you some pointers and resources.
If you have been a believer for a while and you don’t think you are growing, don’t panic. Maybe getting together with 2 or 3 fellow believers and exploring what it means to walk closer with God would be helpful. Get in touch and we can give you a few pointers to help you get started.
If you’re in the depths of parenting toddlers, or any age children for that matter, and you’re desperately trying to do your best to point them to God, know that you are not alone! That old saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is so true. Why not get together with 2 or 3 other parents either at your stage or a few stages ahead to pray together about how to be the best conduit to God that you can be?