Baby Food

"Lindy, have you learned your Bible verse for Sunday school?" asked Mom. "No, but I don't like Sunday school anymore," Lindy grumbled."Why not?" asked Mom, spooning cereal into Gracie's mouth."We don't sing fun songs with motions anymore, and Mrs. Mac doesn't read from her Bible storybook either," replied Lindy. "Now we have to read right from the Bible and memorize verses and--" She paused as Gracie made a gagging sound. "What's the matter, Gracie?" Lindy asked as she tapped a spoon on the high chair, trying to distract her baby sister."She's used to milk and juice, and she's just learning to handle solid foods," Mom explained. "Sometimes they're a little hard for her to swallow.""Poor Gracie." Lindy turned to her mother. "Why not just let her have milk then?""Because she's not a tiny baby anymore. Gracie has to get used to eating solid food to grow big and healthy like you. She already likes it.""Oh," said Lindy. She stroked her sister's cheek. "Eat up, Gracie. Get big soon so we can play together!"Mom put the spoon back up to the baby's mouth. "It seems like you're having the same kind of trouble as Gracie," she said.Lindy looked indignant. "I don't have a problem swallowing my food!""Not physical food," said Mom. "But what about spiritual food? Like newborn babies, new Christians need milk--spiritual milk. When you were younger, you could only understand simple things about God, and your attention span was short, so you just sang cute little songs and read simple Bible stories. But now you understand more and are ready for something more solid. Studying harder Bible lessons and verses helps you learn more about Jesus and His love for you so you can grow in your faith." Mom spooned some more cereal into Gracie's waiting mouth. "It can be hard to get used to at first, just like solid food makes Gracie gag sometimes. But she already likes her new cereal, and I know you'll soon like your new lessons too. Remember that God wants to use them to feed you spiritually and help you grow."Lindy looked uncertain, but then she nodded. "Okay," she said. "I guess I'll go learn my verse."- Tanya Ferdinandusz