Playing Peek-a-boo With God
Posted in Nick's Posts, Spiritual Development 0 comments
Babies have a unique view of the world around them. During this early stage in their cognitive development, objects only exist when they can be seen, heard, or touched. This is one of the primary reasons they cry when one of their parents leaves the room. This is also why the game of peek-a-boo is so incredibly entertaining for them. When you cover their eyes, it is as if everything in the room has ceased to exist. When you then uncover their eyes and say peek-a-book, it’s like you and everything in the room just popped back into existence. It’s like magic. You are David Copperfield to this baby. Even better. David Copperfield may have made the Statue of Liberty disappear, but you just made this baby’s entire universe disappear. Eventually babies grow out of this, of course, and they develop an object permanence in which they gain an awareness that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.
Christians go through this stage of development as well. When we are baby Christians, we have yet to develop an object permanence with God. In this stage, God only exists for us at certain times – at church, around other Christians, and perhaps during prayer. But step out of these settings and poof! It’s as if somebody just covered our baby eyes and God has ceased to exist. And our actions reflect this belief. We do not behave according to the Holy Spirit’s leading; we continue to be worldly in our actions.
For new Christians, this is an expected and perfectly acceptable stage of development. They are still learning how to know and sense God. Unfortunately, many Christians are content to remain in their infancy and lack object permanence with God:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” -- James 1:22-24
Christians who remain in infancy are unable to even distinguish good from evil with consistency:
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:12-14
As Christians, we should be constantly striving to become more mature in our walk with Christ. “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” – Ephesians 4:14-15
Take an honest look at yourself. Are you seeking maturity in Christ? It isn’t a quick route, and there may be setbacks, but there should be progress. Don’t be content to remain a baby. Strive constantly to be the man or woman God wants you to be.
Christians go through this stage of development as well. When we are baby Christians, we have yet to develop an object permanence with God. In this stage, God only exists for us at certain times – at church, around other Christians, and perhaps during prayer. But step out of these settings and poof! It’s as if somebody just covered our baby eyes and God has ceased to exist. And our actions reflect this belief. We do not behave according to the Holy Spirit’s leading; we continue to be worldly in our actions.
For new Christians, this is an expected and perfectly acceptable stage of development. They are still learning how to know and sense God. Unfortunately, many Christians are content to remain in their infancy and lack object permanence with God:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” -- James 1:22-24
Christians who remain in infancy are unable to even distinguish good from evil with consistency:
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:12-14
As Christians, we should be constantly striving to become more mature in our walk with Christ. “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” – Ephesians 4:14-15
Take an honest look at yourself. Are you seeking maturity in Christ? It isn’t a quick route, and there may be setbacks, but there should be progress. Don’t be content to remain a baby. Strive constantly to be the man or woman God wants you to be.
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