1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (focus on 1-3a), “And so, brothers and sisters,* I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3for you are still of the flesh."
As parents of a 4½ month old, this scriptural image used by Paul is really in our face. Zach is currently in the process of getting his first tooth. It is not easy. He is generally a very content baby who rarely cries, yet now he squirms and cries out in distress. At first we did not recognize the signs, but now we see the constant chewing, drooling, and cries of pain as one of life’s moments of growth. Though we know getting teeth is a good thing, because it will mean he will move from milk to solid foods, the process is hard. It is hard both for us parents and for him.
In this Lenten season, it makes us think of how sometimes growth and transformation can be good, but very difficult. The same is true when we examine our spiritual journey with God. The scripture we reference talks about Paul’s call to the people of Corinth to quit quarreling and focusing on themselves. He wants them to focus on the ways God is calling them to grow in the Spirit and out of the selfish focuses of the flesh. God calls us to labor and allow God to work in and through our lives (1 Cor. 3:8). “For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9).
This Lent each of us is called to self-reflection on the ways we are living out the greatest commandment to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves. In those ways, we are called to increase through God’s power. We are also called to do the hard work of giving up milk, the infantile focuses on only our needs, and replace them with the solid food of loving worship, prayer, service, and giving. Being truthful about who we are and where we are on this path may cause us pain to recognize our failures. However, just like teething, growth for God is a transformational pain that will be a lifelong blessing.
