“And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Gen: 21:8
Like a baby, suck your mother’s milk while it flows for a time will come that it will dry up!
There are two periods in every person’s life – the time of dependence and the time of independence. At the onset, every child depends upon his mother’s milk to live. It is so sweet to taste and it is a period of bonding between the mother and the child. However, a time comes in that child’s life that he will breast milk will no longer be sufficient for him if he must grow well. Then parents will begin to feed him with light foods. Later on he graduates to solid foods. Finally the child must be weaned.
The time of weaning a child is not always and easy time both for the baby and the mother as the baby will want to continue to take the milk even after eating solid food. Yet it is a task that must be accomplished by both parties if the baby must become independent and for the mother to enjoy a rest.
So it is in practically all facets of our lives. Weaning a child from breast milk is just a preliminary stage of a child gaining independence. That child still continues to depend upon his parents for total upbringing – he receives formal and informal education. When a child is introduced to a formal schooling he will at first resist. The parents will insist he must go. Finally he is weaned from the home to see the outside world otherwise he will become a nuisance. So the formal school takes care of formal education while the home front becomes the centre for informal learning. At home he receives informal training through direct teaching and through observation of what the parents and neighbours do. A child is taught on various subjects like how to respect elders, to be hard working, to avoid dangers, etc.
By the time the child is above twenty, or completes his formal education in formal settings he graduates again to the outer world where he must combine his hands with his knowledge to cater for himself. This time he’s totally weaned from his parents to fend for himself.
In the spiritual life, there’s a time to be preached to and be taken proper care of by the spiritual father. However, by the time a convert becomes a worker, a minister and probably a Pastor, he must be so independent of his Pastor such that other new converts now depend upon him. These are the cycles of life. We should not expect to be dependent upon other people all through our lives. In the spiritual, we should so dedicate our lives to God through constant study of His word (Jos. 1:8, Hosea 4:7) that we too become prophets unto nations (Jer. 1:5). In the secular, we must wean ourselves from depending upon other people to continue to feed us. We must provide for ourselves and our own families. Many adults don’t realise this on time and their lives become miserable. Don’t be among those who must depend totally upon others. If you don’t wean yourself and become independent, remember, the people you are depending upon will wean you because you will surely become an illness that must be removed by drugs or if stubborn, ‘surgically’. Don’t wait for such a time for they must surely come.
Prayer point: Father, long before I am forcefully or surgically weaned by my benefactors, help me to know when to wean myself from depending upon others. Take me to the next level where I am so blessed that I become a blessing to others in Jesus name.
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