Don't be a baby

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Don't be a baby...be healthy Everyone LOOOOVES babies. And what's not to like? After all, babies are tiny little versions of people (small stuff is REALLY cute to us Big people. We like small dogs, small cell phones, and small cars that can drive through sewer drains.) and they are soft and cuddly. Yes, babies are such a wonderful thing...unless they aren't happy. Oh, well, then the tables turn REALLY fast. The baby goes from being the cutest thing under the sun to the one thing you would love to be far away from (at this point us single people do the wonderful single-person thing; give the baby back to its mother). We don't really think about babies as being selfish. Babies are selfish! They are THE most selfish people! It's completely fine and a natural part of life, but a baby does not consider the needs of others, a baby's only concern is itself. Babies whine and cry when they don't get their way, and will put themselves in harm's way if they are not given the proper guidance and direction. I guess this is the reason they came up with the phrase "don't be such a baby!" to tell people who are whining or wanting their own way. We aren't suprised at a baby's selfishness, we expect it. Sometimes I can be such a baby. I want what I want, when I want it-which is NOW-I don't think of others, and I don't consider that perhaps my parent is thinking of my best interest by denying my every request. (Ever think what a mess your life would be in if God granted everything you ever asked for? That's a scary thought..) Then I hear the voice of God from Ephesians chaper 4: "GROW UP!!" (author's paraphrase). I think that is a message for our generation. We want what we want when we want it and we are suprised to find that our life is ruined because of our bad decisions. So often what we call our "circumstances" in life that cause so much pain are not really circumstances, but consequences of our bad decisions (see Galatians 6 - you reap what you sow). Why is it that we seem to have such difficulty waiting on the Lord and His timing in our lives? Why is it so acceptable to be a big baby and throw a fit when I'm unhappy? I heard a story once about caterpillars. It seems that caterpillars like to follow other caterpillars around. So some scientist in a lab somewhere who had a license so he wouldn't be imprisioned for killing innocent caterpillars did a little experiment. He took a bunch of caterpillars and put them all on the rim of a plant. He then took the caterpillar's favorite food and put it inside the plant. Do you know what they did? The caterpillars walked around and around and around, following the caterpillar butt in front of them until every single caterpillar died of starvation. They were so locked in to "follow the leader" that they missed the very food that could have saved their lives. America (the american church and america in general) is a nation of babies. We are so comfortable, so focused on following the butt of the person on tv or on the front of People magazine that we miss the life we are really supposed to live. Be careful where you take your cues! Be careful what you fill your mind with and which line you fall into!If we are not dilligently on guard we will fall right in line with culture and follow what does not give life and satisfaction. And we will starve to death. God wants us to be Healthy people. Have healthy relationships, healthy bodies, healthy emotions, healthy prayer lives, healthy healthy Healthy! Jesus came that we might have life abundantly! It's not exactly popular to be healthy either. We live in a fast-paced, short-cut, "the end justifies the means" culture. We have a hard time believing that health and happiness is possible, because it's so rare to see in our day. But it IS possible. God cares about your joy and your happiness- He wants you to find it IN HIM!! Why aren't we satisfied even in the midst of our wealth and prosperity? Because it will never, NEVER satisfy us to entertain ourselves! We will never be satisfied by working for money or success or fame. The FEAST is at God's table, and He has made the way for us to eat our fill! (See Isaiah 55:1-3) It's counter culture to grow up. It's counter-culture to be mature and accept the consequences of your behaviour or to keep your word even when it brings harm to yourself. It's counter-culture to be healthy and to rejoice in suffering. Listen to what Jesus has to say; "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:18-19 It is becoming more and more difficult to stand up for the Truth in this Nation and in this time. It will only get worse. Babies will have a hard time putting on armour and standing against the fiery darts of the enemy. Babies don't like to suffer; Jesus suffered. He said "Take up your cross and follow me". The funny thing about growing up and about being healthy - they both require the right kind of food. God has given us His word and His Spirit as our teacher. Let's grow up and grow strong in Him! Let's press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of us! Let's remember who and what we are following, and that we have been given EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)