Solid Food.

Skye is about to turn five months (crazy, right?) and I just started feeding her solids. The rule is to begin with rice cereal and she isn't taking to it the way that Kaiden did. He had no problem gobbling it down but she doesn't seem to understand that she needs to open her mouth to eat. And so, I trick her by making her smile and shoving tiny spoonfuls into her mouth. She pushes a little bit out but she does manage to swallow, which is good. I know she will get used to it in time.During her first feeding, an obvious but interesting thought struck me: she has no idea how to eat and needs me to teach her.Eating to me is like breathing. I just go for the snack pantry without even thinking about it (and that's probably a really bad thing.) But it's foreign to Skye. She is used to drinking her milk down. This coincided perfectly with something I read in 1 Corinthians 3:2:But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,  for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?Paul was addressing the Corinthians, a once-pagan people group who were so wrapped up arguing about whether they followed Paul's teachings or Apollos. Paul used the analogy of milk and solid food. The thing is, when he used the word infants, he wasn't referring to new Christians. He was referring to Christians who have not matured. Can you imagine being a 20-something old person and you were still drinking milk and not eating solids? It's a ridiculous thought. But the fact of the matter is, the Corinthians (and many, many people today) may very well be Christian but are still in the infant stage, only drinking milk.There was a point where I remember facing an incredible amount of stress. Our family was hit hard in every direction and I just felt low. In the brokenness, I realized how shallow my faith was. What was my Christian walk riding on? It was nothing more than a string of emotional highs. A great sermon here. A good book there. Verses that struck a chord. Encouraging words from a friend. Ethan said it perfectly when he told me that I was just tasting bits and pieces of the sweetness of a relationship with Christ but I was just scratching the surface. I was simply drinking milk but I needed solids. My response to life and the hardships brought my way were similar to the Corinthians. I found myself behaving in a "human" way.  And there came the decision: Would I keep coasting along consuming substitutes or would I dive deeper into my walk with God?Friends, I encourage you to dive deeper. The way to do that is to get into the Word every single day and bathe yourself in prayer. It is a wisdom-packed book filled with truth that will transform you from the inside out. Make time to commune with the Lord. Quit hanging onto substitutes and challenge yourself with the real deal, the solid food your heart and mind need.For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. // Hebrews 4:12