Spiritual Growth

 

Spiritual Growth 

“I gave you milk, not solid food,

for you were not yet ready for it.

Indeed, you are still not ready.”

(1 Corinthians 3 vs. 2)

 

            Several years ago June and I decided that our families would not remember us as angry old people. We decided that based on our time spent interacting with elderly people as Stephen ministers. Since then we have concluded that the two major causes behind the frustration are reluctance to change and spiritual growth. 

            The change piece is probably universal. We will grow older, we will lose some of our youthful capabilities, some friends, and have battles to fight. Consider Edmund Vance Cooke’s humorous poem published in 1923:

“This world is nothing but a bubble, don’t you know,
A mighty lot of trouble, don’t you know:
You live, you sigh and then you die, don’t you know.”

 

My friend John says it this way, “Life is a bitch, then you die!”

 

            Recently my friend Vince and I worked a family fitness event. We arrived at 5:30 AM at 25 degrees with a gray sky. It started raining at 7; snowing and blowing at 9; windy and cold with 5 inches of snow at noon for clean up. Vince commented that this was nothing compared with his next venture. 

He was going to his parent's place to do a few odd jobs that his dad could or should not risk doing anymore. He said that somehow dad would get angry, be disagreeable, and be dissatisfied. He could not understand why. In my usual big mouth way, I asked him about his dad’s spirituality. The answer was that mom and dad go to church every Sunday. 

            This lead to my favorite discussion: religion versus spirituality. You see, there are a lot of people who attend church every week that do not experience spiritual growth. In a recent discussion, it was said that too many religious people just never get to know the Holy Spirit. I believe that the people who are edgy, angry, or uncomfortable fit that description. 

            In summary, the Lord wants us to be happy, cheerful, and appreciative. He has given us the tools and we need to use them every day. The tool we have is faith and the Holy Spirit. We need to keep them in mind and our hearts to be happy. 

Thought for Today: Today let us drink our milk but demonstrate with our happiness and spirit that we are ready for the Lord’s solid food. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we pray for all who are experiencing anxiety and anger. We pray that they may find peace and tranquility through the Holy Spirit.

Amen