Milk Vs. Meat

Tonight while reading, I was led to read in Hebrews Chapter 5.  At first I didn't know why, because it mainly talks about Christ being a high priest and the priesthood.  The last three verses though, caught hold of my mind.

12.  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

For those of you that don't exactly understand the metaphor here, I'll explain it.  Milk is the basic doctrine, the foundation of testimonies, such as the love of God and having faith in Him and His plan.  Think of it this way, what do you feed babies?  Milk!  So what do you give spiritual babies?  Spiritual milk!  If you can remember any Primary lessons, think back to them.  I don't really remember being taught them but I do remember teaching a few myself.  Many of them are scripture stories where the lesson is "Have Faith," "Love One Another," or "Obey Your Mommy and Daddy."  This is the spiritual milk that feeds us until we are on our feet and ready to walk.  That is when we move on to the strong meat.  Meat is protein, which builds muscle, making us strong, which allows us to do many different things. It allows ballerinas to leap and stand for hours on the tips of their toes and construction workers to work together to create immense structures.  Therefore spiritual meat is what really strengthens us on specific topics.  It allows some of us to leap through the air and really feel this word reverberate through us, and some of us to cooperate to create a magnificent, spiritual environment for others.

It's really amazing how true this metaphor is!  When we are young, if we drink enough milk, we do not often have problems with weak bones when we are older.  The same goes for building a strong foundation for our testimonies.  I can personally say right now that I know for a fact that there is a God who cares about me personally and has blessed me by placing me in His one true church. These are a few things that I will never be able to deny.  But just as muscle can be gained and lost and needs constant upkeep, so our testimonies constantly shift, growing larger and smaller depending on the effort we put into them.


I am sure there are even more ways this metaphor can be applied, but for now I will just leave it there.  The message I got from these verses was this.  You are not a babe any more, your foundation is not in danger, you have been lingering on the basics for too long.  Move on.  Learn more.  Grow more.  Partake of the strong meat and become strong in the Spirit.

Recognize where you are developmentally and what you are "eating."  Don't be a baby gnawing (or maybe even gumming) at a slab of meat.  Don't be an adult swilling milk.  Be who you are, and what you are meant to be will follow.