Monday, June 9, 2014

Got Milk?

"I gave you milk to drink instead of solid food, because you weren’t up to it yet.  Now you are still not up to it because you are still unspiritual. When jealousy and fighting exist between you, aren’t you unspiritual and living by human standards?"
                 Paul of Tarsus, 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (Common English Bible)


Some situations cause you to grow up faster than you might expect.  As a 7th grader, I had my left Achilles tendon torn up in a motorcycle accident.  This left me off my feet or on crutches for about six months as I went through several surgeries in recovery.   

At this time, hospitals put juveniles four to a room and parents didn't stay the night with their children.

I remember that first night when visiting hours were over and my parents left for home which was about 30 minutes away.  It seemed a little lonely even though there were other kids in the room.  I suppose it would have been worse if I had been by myself.

As I lived through this, I found that I was able to handle other situations that arose without too much difficulty.  It made me mature faster than I would have otherwise and I faced other things with the confidence that experience brings.

Unfortunately, this didn't mean that I was mature in all things.  We all have areas that we can improve upon.  I think that is what the Apostle Paul means when he is telling the church at Corinth that they were not quite ready for solid food in a spiritual sense.  They were jealous of one another.  They fought with one another.  They needed to continue to grow in Christ.

Got Milk?
A good question for us to consider is where do I need to grow the most spiritually?  What are my strengths and what are my weaknesses?  Do I love my neighbor as much as I love myself yet?  

As we look toward the lectionary passages, this Sunday we'll be focusing on the idea of the disciples inheriting the ministry that Jesus had developed in his physical time on earth.  Were they ready to face the challenge?  

Are we?




Photo by Keven Law (Flickr: Got Milk...) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons





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