Growth

I can still remember having growing pains when I was a child. My arms and legs ached no matter what I did. Grown ups would say, “Oh it’s just growing pains.”

But in our walk with the Lord, He feeds us with His Word and watches over us to see how we grow and develop.

We read in Hebrews 5:12, “There has been enough time for you to be teachers – yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God’s message. Instead of eating solid food you still have to drink milk!”

The writer of Hebrews goes on to tell us that milk is for children and solid food is for adults to help them distinguish between good and evil. But we must admit that growth isn’t always easy and there is a cost to stepping out in faith. You could describe it as growing pains.

When our sons were young, we went camping in our tent. I remember how important it was to check everything before we went. We especially checked the ropes for wear and tear and made sure the tent pegs were sharp. They had to withstand the strain when the winds came and buffeted the tent, blowing it this way and that. If the wind were strong enough, it could snap the rope or pull up the tent peg.

Yet God doesn’t want us to stay snug in our tents. No, He knows when we are ready for challenges and extending our ministry to others. So, we need to respond to His instruction and step out – enlarging our tent, lengthening our ropes, and strengthening our tent pegs. We need to extend our boundaries on all sides.