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Education Ministry

Posted on November 9, 2004 ...

Have you ever wondered why peek-a-boo is so amazing to babies? It is because they are incapable of thinking beyond themselves. In their minds, the moment they lose sight of your face, you no longer exist. Cover your face with your hands and they look around blankly as if they are the last soul on earth. Move your hands and their joy will be uncontainable. Even after the tenth time, they are still bewildered by the apparent miracle. This self-centeredness explains a lot about children: Why they cannot comprehend time beyond the present, why they fight sleep, why they do not like to share or be told what to do, and why they get so frustrated by adult logic. They have not yet learned that they are not the center of the universe. Such naivety is fine for young children, but they cannot stay children forever. In time, they will learn that there is more to reality than their immediate time and space. They will learn that they are one of several billion people on this planet. They will learn to accept the certainty that they will not always get their way. And they will learn that it is sometimes necessary to bend to the will of others. This is the way of maturity.

This aspect of human development holds true for spiritual development as well. When a person first becomes a Christian, he is like a newborn baby. He does not think beyond what God can do for him. He relishes the consolations of his new faith: The assurance of his salvation, a loving Christian family, the sweetness of worship, the revelation of God in His Word, and the excitement of faith living. Naturally, affection for these benefits is fine for awhile. But the day will come when faith will be tested – a spiritual peek-a-boo, if you will. A doubt about salvation will arise. There will be a squabble in the church. Worship will become dry and the study of the Bible will become tiresome. And living by faith will not make much sense. It will seem as if God has hid His face from our view. How we respond to His apparent absence will reveal our true devotion – whether it be for the things of God or for God Himself. You see, just as human parents want their children to love them for who they are and not so much for what they provide, God wants our love to be for Him, and only Him. So it is, that God allows these bumps in our spiritual progress for this very purpose – to loosen our attachment to Christian consolations. Not that there is anything wrong with these things in themselves. But it is only the mature Christian who will find joy at Christmas when no presents are under the tree. –

"Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand." – C.S. Lewis