Sometimes good Christian people feel like they are not being fed. Sometimes leaders feel worn out and drained. This article looks at the process of weaning for spiritual growth.
We had a cat that had kittens. The mama cat would lie there and let the little kittens nurse and nurse for days.
But there came a day when she would push the kittens away.
She would get up and walk off and would not allow the kittens to pull on her and drain her energy anymore.
She knew her kittens had the skills and abilities to make it on their own. She understood they could grow and thrive with their own survival skills. They could hunt and eat from the cat bowl for themselves.
It is the same with human babies. There comes a time when the nursing mama puts her milk away. The baby may throw a big fit and scream and stomp his or her feet. But mama knows the child has everything he or she needs to survive, grow, and thrive.
There comes a time in our spiritual journey of faith when God allows a change in our relationship with spiritual mamas and daddies.
He knows we have all the things we need to survive.
We have Him. We have His Spirit inside us. We have his Word, and we have His principles we have learned. We have all the skills we need to grow. We know how to feed ourselves from the Word, and we know how to depend on him.
Sometimes the Lord may allow our relationships with certain people to change.
If we depended on someone more than God, He may allow that relationship to quiet down or maybe even end.
This is the time to grow up in our walk with God.
It is time to wean from dependence on a person to learn dependence on God.
We all go through troubles, and we all need help and support from others.
However, when we reach that weaning stage, God will not allow us to remain overly dependent on any one person over Him.
God wants us to depend on Him for answers to our questions and prayers.
Weaning is a natural process of normal growth.
So, this little article is for two types of people: The ones who love to nurture, and the ones who love to be nursed.
1. If you are one who loves to take care of everyone (hand raised here), you must know when to step back and let eaglets fly.
Those eaglets need to grow. They need more than what we can feed them.
You’ve been there through the baby stage and even the toddler stage. You’ve changed diapers and taught them to walk as best as you can.
As rough as it might be, those ones need to stand on their own and learn to trust in God alone. They need to trust God for themselves, dig deep into the wells of Scripture, and learn to pray.
You cannot be their Savior.
You do them a disservice if you continue to allow them to come to you for spiritual milk and do not teach them how to eat for themselves.
You’ve been a mother or a father to them—and that is enough.
2. For those who feel like you are not getting nurture where you formerly felt nurtured, just maybe it’s time for a change–in one way or another.
You may have even said, “I don’t feel like I’m being fed anymore.”
Don’t get offended. Trust God will bring you what you need when you need it.
Begin to seek God diligently for understanding. Ask Him questions. Read the Bible. Spend time in personal prayer and worship.
He will answer in one way or another.
You have everything you need. You have the skills. You know what to do.
You have more than you know, and God is bigger than you think.
His designs for you are good and for your success. He has a good purpose for you.
God’s purpose is not to harm you, but for you to learn to lean on Him rather than other people.
His plans are for you to fly to heights you’ve not yet discovered.
God is more concerned about your growth and relationship with Him than your comfort.
Yikes, I know that is hard to swallow. Take it a little at the time. You can do it.
I’m praying for you dear reader.
Take Away:
I do not mean to say we do not need the church body of Christ. We absolutely need the five-fold ministry and sincere fellowship with our brothers and sisters. We all need one another on every step of the journey.
However, we must make our own relationship with God more important than any other person or church or organization.
God loves you more than you can even comprehend.
May He bless you on this amazing Christian journey!
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Grow Spiritually by Awakening to More of the Presence of God
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