Then Julie said to her mom, "We'll need to get some baby food for when he gets hungry, won't we?"
"We won't need that for a while," her mom grinned. "God has made it possible for a mother's body to produce the perfect food for a baby in his first months of growth."
#30- Proper Nourishment
A Character story about faithfulness.
The twins were both so excited! After church they would be bringing their new baby brother home. Both of them had difficulty paying attention to their Sunday school teacher and pastor. Afterward, they raced home to ate a quick sandwich before heading for the hospital.
On the way, Mr. Jensen asked, "Say, what are you two reading in your Bibles these days?"
"Boy, Dad," Jason responded, "I've been so busy lately that I only have time to read this little devotion booklet."
"That's all right, but are you reading the suggested Scripture reading also?"
"I-I'm afraid I haven't been very regular about that," he confessed.
"And what about you, Sissy?"
"Our Sunday school teacher last week encouraged us to get into the 'meat' of the Word, so I've been trying to understand Leviticus."
"Leviticus?" her dad said in surprise. "Why that book?"
"'Cause it's the hardest one to read, so I figured it must be the meatiest. Oh, goodie! Here's the hospital!"
Mr. Jensen parked the car at the door and they walked briskly to Mrs. Jensen's room to help her carry things out. How thrilled they were when at long last, the nurse was strapping Joshua into his new car seat, making him ready to travel to his new home!
Within minutes of getting him into the house, both were fighting over who would hold him first. "You may each have a turn," Mrs. Jensen promised, "but first be seated on the couch."
Julie held her sleeping brother for several minutes without speaking. Then she said to her mom, "We'll need to get some baby food for when he gets hungry, won't we?"
"We won't need that for a while," her mom grinned. "God has made it possible for a mother's body to produce the perfect food for a baby in his first months of growth."
"That's milk, isn't it?" Jason asked.
"That's right, Son," Mr. Jensen added. "The very best thing in every way for the baby is his mother's milk."
"But isn't it the same as the milk we drink?" Julie asked.
"No, not at all," said Mr. Jensen. "You see, Joshua's little kidneys are not able to filter out the amount of protein found in cow's milk. In fact, our milk has four times too much protein for him. It could actually be dangerous to his system. Mother's milk contains the perfect balance of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies to fight germs."
"But cow's milk doesn't hurt us, Dad," Jason noted.
"That's true. We need that much protein. And Joshua's needs will change as he grows bigger. God planned it this way so, guess what! He made mother's milk to automatically change to meet the changing needs of the baby. The first milk contains almost no protein or fat but does have lots of cholesterol, a chemical a baby needs for brain development. But the per cent of protein and fat in the milk will increase as Joshua grows."
"And Joshua will need more to drink as he grows larger," Mrs. Jensen added. "Within the first twenty-four weeks his intake will increase from about 6 to 8 ounces a day to 40! Again, God made mother's body to be able to produce the right amount."
"Wow. I never knew that," Jason responded.
"And speaking of nourishment, how do you think God provides spiritual food for his own children?"
"Oh, that's easy," Julie said, "through the Bible."
"That's true, but did you stop to think that, since the Bible is enough food for every age, he has something in it for each of us each day, something that is just what we need at our present level of spiritual growth?"
"Do you think, then," Julie asked, "that the Lord wants me reading Leviticus?"
"Maybe He does, but I doubt it. That book has a lot of meat in it, but I'd say that for your understanding, a book like one of the Gospels or Philippians would be easier for you to 'digest' so to speak. But, Jason, what if we gave Joshua only water without any milk? Would that be sufficient nourishment do you think?"
"Not from what you've told us."
"Or what would you think if we fed you the same amount as Joshua gets?"
"I'd starve!"
"How true. And neither is a devotional sufficient without reading the Scripture along with it. God's Word is the food. In Jeremiah He compared it to wheat, and man's words to chaff, the hulls of the seed."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess I was taking the easy way instead of really asking the Lord to teach me personally."
"Yes, it's easy to get off a balanced spiritual diet with too much meat, or with too little. But the great thing to know is that the Bible is just the right type of food for each of us for each day, if we're willing to feast on it."
"Oh-oh," Julie said as her brother began to fuss in her arms and try to suck on his hand, "I think my new brother is getting hungry. Mom, I guess you're kind of like the Lord now."
"What do you mean by that, Dear?"
"That only you and He know how to give perfect food to their little children."