Stop Spoon-Fed Faith

*Warning, this blog spoils the secrets of what kids do with the food they don't like. If you're a kid, I'm sorry. If you're a parent, you're welcome.*


Remember how your parents would find creative ways to get you to eat? I remember mine told me broccoli was a tree and I was a dinosaur. [Who would want to eat a tree with the trunk attached anyways!?] Or when the spinach was an airplane and my mouth was the landing dock. I remember my mom saying, "But, Lauren, if the plane can't land they'll be stuck in the air forever." My dorky, little self would often think, "So? This dock is closed. They can just find an ocean and float." As for the dinosaur my excuse would be, "I don't eat plants. I only eat meat."


Other times it was straight up-little-kid-blackmailing: "If you don't finish your carrots, you don't get any ice cream." I'm pretty sure I would inhale my food after hearing that one. Then there were times when we kids thought we were oh so clever... I never had a dog to eat my food, so I would try hiding it in my napkins, under my plate, or would run, throw it in the trash, then cover it up after the doorbell rang. Or, my personal favorite method, only the foods I didn't like would mysteriously take flight and land on the floor-which of course stayed there longer than five seconds so it became "contaminated". (Oh darn.) Nowadays, after being to India twice and Kenya, Africa, I make sure I eat whatever is on my plate. Most of the time... I'll admit, I still draw the line at steamed carrots and broccoli. And canned spinach, deeeefinitely NO canned spinach. Ever. 


Can you imagine if a 14 year old still had their parents spoon feed them like this? Or better yet, an 18 year old high school Senior? "Oh honey, I am so proud that you got a 4 out of 5 on your Calc AP test! Now, open your mouth, you hungry, hungry dinosaur, here comes the tweeee, swooosh!" (If your parents still do this, may I suggest counseling? This is pathetic!)


So why do we spoon feed our kids' faith?


A huge part of my life is spent with teenagers, none of whom are spoon fed, thank God! Sadly, I can't even guess how many of these kids live vicariously through their parents' faith. Their faith has become another chore on the list. Clean your room: check, mow the lawn, check: read your Bible: check. Wash your face: check, brush your teeth: check, say a prayer: check. Go to school: check, do my homework: check, go to church and youth group: check. Where is the faith in any of that? Romans states that "faith without works is dead," and sadly many of today's youth are walking around with dead faith. 


As children we cannot possibly understand God's word on our own. Can you imagine if a two year old were to stand up in front of a congregation and start interpreting the parables of Jesus? Of course not! They need to be taught first! As Proverbs said, "rear a child in the way they should go." Notice it says "child?" Growing up reaches a certain age when we don't need to be "reared" or "spoon-fed". We need to learn how to rely on God for ourselves, and how to feed ourselves spiritually without our parents telling us how it works. You may have a different point of view than your parents, but how would you know if you trust what they say? How do you know they're not making something up if you don't read your Bible? 


In the same way we have to learn how to do things on our own: feed ourselves, clothes and tie our own shoes, think for ourselves, drive, write, etc., we need to apply these same principals to our spiritual lives. There are battles we will have to fight which we can only win by applying our own personal faith. There have been so many times in my life when my personal faith was challenged, and I don't even want to think about what the outcomes may have been if I tried to get through with my parents' faith. Why? Because the amount of faith they have, as well as the kind, has been determined by the number of years they have walked with the Lord as well as what they have gone through. 


We find it so ridiculous to think about parents spoon feeding their kids after a certain age, yet no one even seems to hardly notice when a child is being spoon fed faith. Sometimes even the child doesn't know it. The first time my faith was truly challenged to stand alone was when I was 14 and robbed at gunpoint. It was a horrifying, death-defying experience. One that shook me up, but opened my eyes to see that I need to start taking charge of my own faith and learn why I personally believe in God. It's been long and hard as I continue on this journey, one which will walk until I die, but it's so worth it. By having my own faith, I can see God move in crazy, awesome, joy bombin' ways I would never deem possible, ways that he never could if I lived in my parent's faith. 


It's time for the parents to put down the spoons and ridiculous bribes-which don't work unless it's blackmail involving ice cream. And it's time for the youth of America, and some adults, to start feeding themselves. 

Saint