Daily Bread Vs. Special Treats
I couldn't help but laugh at my clever canine yesterday as she demonstrated both her intelligence and her rottenness. Tess adores her wobble Kong—a treat-dispensing toy that rolls and tumbles with each nudge. Usually, I fill it with her regular kibble, but yesterday, I decided to add a few special treats to make it more exciting.
What followed was nothing short of comical. Like a furry tornado, Tess batted that Kong from room to room, leaving a trail of perfectly good kibble in her wake. She had one mission: extract only the special treats. The regular food? Not worth her time, at least not initially. I watched in amazement as she meticulously picked out every single treat, ignoring the "boring" kibble scattered throughout the house.
Eventually, hunger won out over pickiness, and she returned to clean up the trail of regular food she'd previously deemed unworthy. As I watched her methodically clean up her mess, I couldn't help but see a spiritual parallel.
How often do we, as Christians, act just like Tess with our spiritual food? We eagerly chase after the "exciting parts" of our faith like the mountain-top experiences, the dramatic answers to prayer, and the powerful worship services while leaving the "ordinary" aspects of our spiritual walk scattered and neglected.
We want the special treats: the miracles, the supernatural encounters, the emotional highs. Meanwhile, we overlook the daily bread of consistent prayer time, regular Bible reading, and faithful service. Like Tess, we can become spiritual treat-chasers rather than mature believers who appreciate all of God's provisions.
The apostle Peter reminds us, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). Notice he doesn't say to desire only the exciting parts or the easy-to-digest portions. True spiritual maturity comes when we learn to value and digest all of God's Word and His ways.
Just as Tess eventually returned to clean up the kibble, our spiritual journey should lead us to appreciate the seemingly ordinary aspects of our faith. The quiet moments in prayer, the daily discipline of Bible study, the routine of fellowship with other believers—these are not lesser provisions. They are the very nutrients that sustain our spiritual growth.
Perhaps today you're chasing after spiritual "treats" while neglecting the regular spiritual food God has provided. Remember, maturity isn't found in the occasional spiritual high, but in learning to find nourishment in all aspects of our walk with God. After all, sometimes the most profound spiritual growth happens in life's ordinary moments.