Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.

(1 Peter 2:2 NIV)

Mr. Peterson, a Canadian tourist, landed in Barbados and hopped into a taxi.  Curious about the island’s reputation for good health, he asked the driver, “Is this place really as healthy as people say?”

“Absolutely,” the cab driver replied. “When I first got here, I couldn’t talk, I barely had any hair, couldn’t even walk across the room, and had to be lifted out of bed.”

“That’s incredible!  How long have you lived here?”

The driver smiled and said, “I was born here.”

Mr. Peterson thought the driver had undergone some miraculous transformation simply by being in a healthier place.  But we often make the same mistake.  We think if we could just change our surroundings — move to a new city, get a new job, find new friends, or even join a new church – we would suddenly become stronger or happier or more spiritual.

But real spiritual growth doesn’t come by moving to a new location. It starts on the inside. That’s what Peter is getting at in 1 Peter 2:2.  He tells us to be like newborns who crave nourishment—to long for the “pure spiritual milk” of God’s Word.  Because that’s how we grow.

We all begin our spiritual journey like that cab driver described — helpless, immature, and totally dependent. And like babies, our growth isn’t instant.  It’s a process — sometimes slow, but always moving forward.  The point isn’t to be perfect; it’s to be growing.

But our growth doesn’t come from being in the “right place.”  Yes, sometimes God may use new places and people along the way, but the biggest transformation happens when we feed on the right things — when we develop a deep hunger for God.

So instead of looking for the next thing (or place) to make your life better, ask yourself: What am I feeding on?  If you want to grow spiritually, it begins by craving what actually fuels that growth — time with God, truth from his Word, and a heart that’s willing to change.

Prayer: Father, thank you for providing me what I need to grow. Help me to long for your Word.  Teach me to grow not through outside change, but through inward transformation as I seek to follow you day by day.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day