A Fork in the Road

I was finishing up the book God Is Not Mad at You by Joyce Meyer.  In the end she was talking about how to move from being milk drinkers to meat eaters in our spiritual lives.  She was saying that we are milk drinkers when we live on the messages of God’s love and grace all the time.  And that we are meat eaters when we eat for ourselves and then do something, like give instead of receive.

For years I was a milk drinking Christian just as Joyce confesses.  I lapped up the messages of God’s love and grace to me.  It was like I really wanted someone to give me a warm bottle all the time and if they didn’t I turned my heart away.  I was so needy.  And I was afraid.

Finally I started to pick up a fork.  I got out the Bible and began reading it on my own.  It was hard at first.  I didn’t always know where to begin.  But as I did it I started to learn a lot.  And I started to grow without even realizing it.  When I read a story about forgiveness, I didn’t turn my heart away.  Instead I listened.  God never shoved anything down my throat.  He simply held out the fork of meat.  In a sense saying, “Would you like a bite of this?  You will have the strength to go a lot of places with me if you swallow these truths.”  And in a sense I would say, “Ok, I’ll try a little of that.  Where do I need to forgive Lord?  And just how can I do it?”

And so a life long relationship of eating at the table of the Lord began.  It really is the richest of fare.  There I am strengthened to face the challenges in my life.  There I am filled with the energy to go the distance with God and to enjoy myself as I do.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..”   Hebrews 6:1 NIV