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Coffee And... Babies
by Louise Bergmann DuMont (Louise's bio)
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My co-worker had gone to retrieve a file from the back room and I was occupying myself as best I could until her return. Scattered on every wall and across her desk were dozens of photos. Most were of her grandchildren doing many of the wonderful things that small children do in front of a camera. When she returned I asked her about one particular picture.
“What happened to that poor child?” I said pointing to a picture of one very unhappy young boy.
She grinned as she caressed the photo ever so slightly with the tip of her finger, “That was the first time Ryan tasted green beans.”
I laughed, remembering my own children's exposure to the vegetable world. “I guess it's an acquired taste, like drinking coffee. But you'd think that survival instincts would make children love green beans. I mean they're full of vitamins and all kinds of good stuff.”
“That's true, but every mother knows that kids have to be hungry to eat green beans willingly – and you don't dare feed them applesauce first. They'd just as soon starve as have the green beans after they've had fruit.”
My grin grew wider as I shared my thoughts on the matter. “Adults aren't much better. It takes a lot of effort for me to stay away from candy or coffee. I'd gladly trade a mocha cappuccino for veggies. The only reason I don't is because I know I can't live on chocolate and caffeine – although there are days I might try.”
We both laughed as I took the file and headed back to my desk. No sooner did I arrive than I saw the light blinking on my phone. Checking my messages I found a call from my husband. He was stopping by the discount grocer on the way home. He needed to pick up the fresh vegetables and salad fixings for our church dinner the next day. One of my favorite side dishes, Green Beans Almondine ala DuMont, was planned. For this dish husband browns bits of Prosciutto or Capicolo in butter along with the almonds. It is fabulous.
My husband also prepared a wonderful salad. He used some rather bitter tasting greens, but when he topped it with his homemade raspberry/honey vinaigrette dressing – wow. The combination made my taste buds sing with joy.
Neither of these fares are something I would give to a newborn. Their stomach and their taste buds would not take well to them. It requires a developed pallet and a mature digestive system to appreciate and assimilate the complicated textures, tastes and ingredients that adults enjoy.
Spiritual food works the same way. Young Christians start out with God's version of Mother's Milk. It fills their nutritional needs, is easily digested and tastes good to them. It is also dished out with extra loving care. As we grow spiritually God provides more substantial foods. Some, like pureed fruit and cereal still taste good but require a little more digestion. Others, like green beans and squash, don't suit us as well. We try to reject those truths, and beg for more fruit. But God knows what is best. We can't survive on fruit alone so he takes the sweet away until our appetite grows strong enough to take in what we need. As our spiritual bodies grow stronger God may send a few bitter tasting greens our way. But He never leaves our side throughout the experience, and like the sweet raspberry/honey vinaigrette, His presence makes the experience well worth it.
The key is to eat what is right for us. An adult who still craves nothing but mother's milk is not much of an adult. Are you growing, maturing and seeking the best that God provides for you? Or are you still throwing a temper tantrum, asking to be spoon-fed when God calls you to pick up a fork and to feed on a feast of meat and potatoes?
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14
Copyright 2003, Louise Bergmann DuMont. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Louise Bergmann DuMont: Louise Bergmann DuMont is the facilitator of the North Jersey Christian Writer's Group and a recent winner of CWG's 2001 conference scholarship. She has written for numerous local periodicals, journals and newspapers and recently began expanding her horizons to include more widely circulated publications. Louise's interests include gifted/learning-disabled children and fiction/fantasy writing. She is married and has three sons. E-mail Louise |
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