Spiritual Baby Teeth...

My youngest just turned 1 in July, and I've found after three kids that the first year is a strange combination of fast and slow. When I'm getting out of bed for the third time before midnight, the moments seem endless. When that 1st tooth {finally} pops through and she looks suddenly more like a toddler than an infant, I pray for time to slow down.

During the last 14 months (no matter how fast or slow it felt) my daughter was gradually growing. The tiny onesies that had more than enough room, now would barely fit over her head. Her neck that now twists from side to side to see her brothers behind the highchair could hardly bear the weight of her newborn head just a few months ago. Her vocabulary increases daily and her eyes light up as she understands new concepts.

This constant, although slow, growth is a sign of a healthy baby girl.



In the same way, Bible study can seem like a slow {and intimidating} process at times. We feel wobbly on our spiritual legs and unsure of our Scripture vocabulary. We can feel stuck on passages that we just can't seem to comprehend and the verses we try to memorize quickly seem to fall out of our mommy brains.

What we can't so easily see is the how that slow process is producing beautiful growth in our lives. As we consume the "milk of the Word" we are maturing in our perspectives and love for others. We are savoring the sweet taste of His words as David writes in Psalm 119:103.

The only difference in my "growing baby" illustration is that as a child develops and matures, she should become more and more independent. True maturity in the life of the believer is actually displayed in more and more dependence upon her Savior.

My hope for this post is that you will be encouraged as you study God's Word. You may feel like the process is endless. You may feel like a spiritual infant who will never grow up. But it is God who promises to enlighten our understanding through the Holy Spirit.



My prayer as we continue to dive deeper into the wonders of the gospel together is summed up perfectly in Ephesians 1:18.
.....having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.....