When we are first getting to know God, it makes sense for us to consume spiritual milk – to learn the basics of wisdom and discernment, love and forgiveness. To allow ourselves to be trained toward righteousness.
It can feel pretty good. We see growth and change. We see fruit. And a big reason for this is the milk stage of our spiritual development is about learning how the world works. Like the honeymoon phase, we are falling in love, full of passion and excitement.
But we are meant for more. We are meant for the kind of faith that hurts. The kind that costs us something, that requires courage, and pushes us to discover what is truly in our best interest.
These solid foods can be an acquired taste. We start to experience the exceptions to how the world works. We are confronted with the mysteries and our inability to control.
Our reaction is often to want to go back to the milk. To stop progressing and linger where it is more comfortable and less confusing. We want the Vending Machine rather than relationship; the quick quip rather than the complicated relationship.
In the end, this settling robs us of the truest beauty The Kingdom of God has to offer. The intimacy that develops through conflict. The binding that happens through confusion. The unity of diversity. Only through engaging these challenges will we experience the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven.