Spoon Fed.

You just woke up, and you can hear your belly rumbling as you rub the sleep from your eyes and plop down at the breakfast table.  Mom walks over and grabs your face, and you prepare yourself for a good morning kiss on the cheek.  Instead she tilts your head upwards and in your horror you hear gagging noises and smell waffles and syrup, then you pull away and find yourself backed against the stove.  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Mom says, walking towards you, a confused look on her face, “I’m just trying to give you your breakfast… I thought you liked waffles!”  Your stomach rolls as you realize you were about to get pre-chewed breakfast like a baby bird does, straight from your mother’s mouth!

Wow, that’s nasty.  At least that is what you are probably thinking right now.  Okay I understand baby birds, or animals…. but humans?  Who in their right mind would want to eat regurgitated food?  Well, lots of people when it comes to SPIRITUAL food.  Many Christians prefer God’s Word to be pre-chewed before they swallow it.  Christians like this mean well, but they swallow whatever they are told without checking for themselves what God’s word says, which leads to slow or no spiritual growth.  Spoon feed Christians, also known as Baby Christians, or Immature Christians, are mentioned by Paul in Corinthians: 

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.                                        1 Corinthians 3:2

At a certain point in a Christian’s life, it is expected and even helpful to them to be given spiritual milk, or be spoon fed.  Young children for example cannot read, so of course their parents, teachers, and priests will read them the Bible and teach them what it means, until they are able to do so for themselves.  That is right and proper, as Paul said, they aren’t ready for solid food (AKA reading and understanding scripture on their own).  But Paul was talking about grown adults! 

Too many people assume young adults and teens are either uninterested in, or unable to read the Bible and study and think critically to decipher the meaning for themselves, growing spiritually.  I know from experience, and especially from being around the youth at St. Catherine’s, that you all have what it takes, and I don’t need to always “spoon feed” you, or give you pre-chewed regurgitated spiritual food.  Some things to remember when studying God’s word:

1)     Context is Important
            -Reading the Bible is like time travel
            -Knowing the history and destination help us understand why and how
2)     Read the Bible for Yourself
            -Take notes, research, and discuss with others
3)     You don’t have to be Spoon Fed
            -Never let anyone tell you that you can’t understand scripture for yourself
            -There’s nothing wrong with being taught by others, but questions and debate are good!
4)     The Bible is your story, read from within
            -Allow yourself to be in the Word
            -Let it speak to you where you are in your life Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.          2nd Timothy 2:15-16

Christian literally means Christ like, and we all know we have quite a ways to go to be just like Christ.  Therefore it stands to reason that the whole purpose of Christianity is to grow and mature spiritually.  Being like Christ is our goal, and so is growth!

Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.  Hebrews 6:1

~Brooke Seals