Milk Is Overrated

I just left my 5 year old’s bedside. We shared our usual nightly routine. We read a story from Sticky Situations, a book that describes a story with an ethical dilemma. At the conclusion of the story, five possible answers are given to choose from. Only one is correct. There is only one obvious answer. The others are completely out of the realm of possibility, and when Luke guesses it correctly, his eyes light up as if he just discovered the theory of relativity. Tonight was no different.

We finished our nightly sticky situation and our prayers, and I told him how proud of him I was. This morning he woke up (before everyone else in the house…per usual) and got himself dressed, brushed his teeth and quietly exited his room. He usually slams the door and wakes up his two other brothers upstairs. This was the first morning where he really put all of the pieces together.

He beamed with pride when I told him how proud I was of him. However, he was quick to point out that I had not mentioned his greatest accomplishment of the early morning. He said, “Dad, I even woke up this morning and told myself this was going to be a great day. I told myself and God that I would only hurt Nate one time today. And that was all I did…just once.”

I busted at the seam. I could not stop laughing. His morning devotional with God consisted of a conversation saying that he would only hurt his three year old brother once. If during the course of the day Luke only hurt Nate once, he has officially made progress.

Following Christ is a progression. That’s why the Bible compares metaphorically those beginning their journey with Christ to babies beginning their journey with life. “Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” I love this imagery. Those who begin their journey of faith with the Lord begin with a childlike faith. Each day bringing with it new and exciting revelations. With each revelation comes a deepening of faith. Deepening our faith instills a better knowledge of our Creator. The more intimately we know our Lord, the quicker we move from milk to Cheerios to hotdogs to steak. And how sweet the steak tastes when we begin to better understand our Father…our Abba.

Luke is on a journey. In his world, progress is measured by the amount of times he hurts his younger brother. He is taking steps forward, and I’m proud of him.

I am on a similar journey. In my world, progress is measured by the amount of meat consumed during a day. Some days I feel like I should be drinking from a bottle…diapers and all. But by God’s grace, I find myself bellying up to the bar eating steak more and more.

This life is a journey. As we walk down the road with Christ by our side, we long to consume meat. How would you like it cooked, medium or well? Grow up, milk is overrated.