1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-"
We have almost had our sweet pup for a year now. She is loveable and spoiled, but she has the most amazing personality. Another thing about her is that she does not like when any of the family leaves the house. We can be gone for two minutes or a few hours, but she reacts the same every time we walk in the door. This evening, my husband and son went out for a while, and for the first time she did not pace, cry, and look for them, Instead, she let them go and took up her usual space on the back of the couch (we believe she is part cat). When they arrived home, she was also quite calm instead of the crazy jumping pup that usually greets us. It was a bit surprising for the guys, but I looked at it like a good sign that she is finally starting to self-sooth.
When we adopted her last summer, the paperwork that came with her said that it would take a full year for her to truly acclimate to her new home, and we all saw the start of that tonight. It has taken her a while to listen, learn, and become a part of our family. Even though we accepted her right away, she needed to learn about her new environment and to trust us. We, on the other hand, needed to be patient with her while she was learning to trust and adjust to us.
I was thinking how it is the same with us as Christians. When we yield to Jesus, we are adopted into a new family. Most people start attending a local church and begin to become part of a fellowship of believers. We have to, all of us, acclimate to a new way of life. We learn to follow the Bibles teaching and live by its precepts. All these things take time, just like it has for my pup. Also like her, we eventually learn to trust and lean into our new way of life.
I also think that we as mature believers need to also be patient with new Christians while they are learning and growing in the faith. We need to be available to disciple while letting them grow closer to Jesus in their own time; for we are all on our own journeys. We need to just love them, and God certainly will do the rest.
1 comment:
Amen! I believe all too often, Christians judge others and want everyone to "be there" in their relationship with Christ, but like Dyno, it takes time and adjustment and patience and love to get there. I can see it in the face of my students and my own adult children how when I'm talking about something, they just don't get it. It takes time and experience and trust in God to feel that peace He can give us. This was such a beautiful analogy.
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