The Benefits of Nursing

This post continues the series on babies in the kingdom. This series started on October 15th.
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Over the last several days, I have sat in amazement as I have already begun to see the benefits take form while my wife nurses our newest child. Many of these natural benefits have spiritual significance, and I want to share just a few.

The first benefit began to take shape immediately after my wife began to nurse. I became concerned as my wife nursed our new son and but instead of smiling, began to grimace. I asked her what was wrong, and her response surprised me. She was having contractions.

As she began to feed the baby, a God created design began to do its work. The moment she began to nurse, a hormone was released that helps speed healing to her body. It helps bring her body more quickly back to its pre-pregnancy shape, and is only caused when nursing begins.

This accelerated healing makes her fit and prepared for pregnancy again that much sooner. Now I can hear some of you saying, “You have FOUR KIDS, don’t you think you should wait before you start thinking about having more?” But wait! Do you see the spiritual correlation? The experience of nursing, prepares you for pregnancy. Sharing the word of God with others, prepares you to bring new souls into the kingdom. Nursing has its benefits.

Another immediate benefit was found the very first diaper we changed. Newborns have the most disgusting diapers, and in my opinion the hardest to clean. A dark, black, tar-like substance is found within them when they are born, but amazingly, nursing releases it from them like nothing else. By devouring the pure milk, they are naturally able to purge the junk that’s been inside them all of their lives. When we share the milk of God’s word, we help new believers to clean out their lives. We help give them the strength and encouragement to purge out those things that have no place in their new life.

One of the greatest benefits that doctors mention when encouraging new mothers to nurse is the benefit to health. I have been amazed with each of our children when Carla would catch a cold or winter flu, only to have the baby never even get a runny nose. The reason is simple, the antibodies that her body creates to fight off the infection in her own body, are passed to the infant so that he is protected by her exposure to the attack.

I have seen the same in even a more powerful way through the spirit. New children of God, protected from a spiritual attack because those who are caring for them have faced that attack before. Sharing their experience through their bible studies, conversations and prayer they build up a hedge of protection to help ward off a spiritual sickness or infirmity.

Lastly, one benefit that every mother knows, and no man fully comprehends, is the benefit of intimacy. There is a special bond that only a mother and infant can share, the bond of giving and receiving. The special bond that is formed while staring into each other’s eyes and allowing the love for each other to grow. It is this bond that integrates a baby into a family, and it is this bond that integrates a new Christian into the family of God.

As a husband and father, I have sat watching as my children have each stared up at their mother, a silent bond forming in that moment. A bond I can never have, and never fully comprehend. This bond that only a mother and infant share in the silence, as they stare into each other’s eyes. “I need you mommy,” the baby’s eyes implore. Mother’s eyes respond in volumes, “I’ll always be here.”

Nursing is Natural

With the birth of our newest child this past weekend, I have once again found myself amazed and awestruck by the beauty and wonder of new life. His cute pudgy cheeks, wrinkly fingers, and limbs that just won’t seem to do what he wants. As I have helped my wife, and watched her care for this newest edition to our family, I couldn’t help but feel this article being birthed in my heart.

Over the last several decades there has been a shift in the medical methods concerning infants and children. Scientific studies and findings continue to discover the benefits of nursing over formula and other forms of infant nutrition. These discoveries have caused the medical professions to swing “back to natural.” Every mother is now encouraged to nurse her child, and they are given stacks of brochures filled with facts to convince them.

Nursing is a natural process in which a mother can give to her infant a portion of the nutrition she has taken in. Her diet determines the nutrition passed to the baby, and so it is with spiritual nursing. The bible describes spiritual milk as watered down revelations and understandings of God. They are revelations simplified so that even the most spiritually immature can readily understand and accept.

Now some Christians look down on the “milk of the Word,” afraid of the rebuke Paul gave to the Corinthian church. Some don’t want to be considered immature and race ahead, only to fall into peril. It is often overlooked that this is a natural and NECESSARY process. Peter in his first letter even went so far as to say, “Long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”(1 Peter 2:2) Nursing is necessary and nursing is natural.

In the natural, after giving birth, milk production is natural. All that is required for milk production is a steady diet of water and nutrition to the mother, and a willing, hungry infant. As long as each of these are in steady supply milk production is a given. It is only when one these requirements are left unmet that the milk supply is in danger. If the mother fails to eat or drink then the milk supply is in jeopardy. If the baby is never given the chance to eat, the milk supply will fail.

It does not need to be a struggle to help raise healthy spiritual children. Nursing is natural. Simply share the revelations of what God has shown you. Share the things that God has taught you, and you will be amazed at how quickly your milk supply will increase. As the spiritual newborn grows in size so will the revelations that God brings to you. Nursing is natural. Enjoy the experience.

The Consultant

With every birth, each new mother can expect a visit from a very special person at the hospital, the “Lactation Consultant.” With the visits I recall from sitting at the bedside with my wife, I can remember each one coming in. Cheerful ladies, there to help encourage the new mother, and share with them the benefits of nursing.

It has been through conversations with these knowledgeable people, and the life lessons my wife and I have experienced that I find myself teaching a lesson on spiritual nursing.

In the last post, we discussed spiritual abandonment. People, born into the kingdom, left to find their way alone. Many times this happens in the spirit for the same reason it happens in the natural. How many times on the news did we hear the tear-filled explanations of teens who abandoned their infants in restrooms or street corners? “I just wasn’t ready to be a mother. I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t equipped.”

Sadly today, I believe many in the church have been fed the same lie. Satan runs through the room whispering into each ear and feeding our self doubt. “You aren’t a teacher. You aren’t a pastor. What makes you qualified to say anything about God?”

It is those doubts that cause us to abandon them, NOT because we don’t care, but because we are afraid. The verse plays through in our mind, “It is better to have a millstone…” Then comes the doubt. Then comes the fear, and inevitably the questions. “What if I cause one to stumble? What if I cause one to fall?”

When new mothers would fall into doubt or worry, the Lactation Consultant was never far away. Soon she would sweep into the room with soothing words of comfort, “You aren’t alone,” or “You aren’t the first to have this problem,” and most comforting of all, “I’m always here if you have a problem or a question.”

Even after leaving the hospital, the Lactation Consultant was always just a phone call away. Without hesitation or reservation she would answer the call to encourage the new mother with comforting words and useful bits of knowledge and experience.

The Apostle Paul had a different description for spiritual consultants. In Ephesians 4, he described a five-fold ministry, created by God to encourage maturity and growth in the church.

As I write this to you as a spiritual consultant, I feel the need to encourage a few. You are capable of helping those you have led to Christ. You are capable of sharing with them the revelations that God has shown you, and you are capable of praying with them and caring for them when they need a shoulder to cry on.

We CAN see healthy children raised in the kingdom, and you are one that God can use to see it happen.

Bringing and Keeping People in the Kingdom

Well, we have had a very busy couple of weeks. We have had one false labor, spent hours excitedly counting contractions, and of course putting the finishing touches on each baby related project. Baby Jadon will soon be in our arms, and we couldn’t be more excited.

With my mind completely filled with baby related items and activities, it is no wonder that I would be drawn to this series. I would like to take just a few moments over the next several days and share some insights and parallels between the natural of a mother caring and feeding her child, and the spiritual equivalent of caring for a soul. Due to the amount of material, I will be breaking each topic into a different post.

One day, while Jesus while ministering to his disciples, He took a child and sat that child before them. With this soft eyed smiling child seated before Him, Jesus then explained to His disciples the preciousness of children to God. He crafted a dramatic, chilling, verbal painting as he described a man tossed into the deepest sea with a heavy millstone secured about his neck. With the visual of this desperate man gasping for his last breath, but with no hope of escape, the narrative ends. Children are so precious that it would be better to die in such a manner than to stand before God guilty of causing one of these children to miss Christ. (Matt. 18)

Not so long ago, I can remember the almost daily news stories of teenage girls abandoning their newborns. It seemed to be an epidemic as infants were found in restrooms and dumpsters. We were amazed when one infant was found in a Disney restroom and yet another was abandoned at a high school prom. We couldn’t understand how anyone could give birth to a beautiful baby, and then simply walk away.

Sadly, in the church today we have similar situations. New lives being born as evangelism takes place at parties, in shopping centers and restrooms. But many times, the new life is left where it was birthed. Abandoned infants left for someone else to care for, for someone else to feed and for someone else to nurture.

This need not be the case. Over the next several articles I want to help open your eyes to the gifts God has placed within you, so YOU can help others become what God has for them. I want to encourage you in the use of your gifts, so that together we can cultivate strong, healthy children for the King.

Please, Daddy?

I sat lounging in my recliner watching a video with my boys when suddenly I was attacked by a soon-to-be two year old. At first she climbed up onto the outstretched foot stool, and then continued her assault by climbing up until she was seated firmly on my chest. With my view of the TV completely blocked, and sure that she was now the center of my attention, she completed her mission. She leaned over and with both of her little hands pulled my hand free from behind my head. Finally, she firmly pushed her empty cup into the now free hand and looking squarely into my eyes and said, “Drink, Please.”

As I sat up from the chair and walked into the kitchen to fulfill her desire, I was reminded of the many times God used children to explain Kingdom principles. As I refilled her cup, I realized my daughter had just reminded me of a few.

As I sat with my boys watching the video with them, my daughter had several methods she could have used to ask for what she wanted. However, she wanted to be sure and leave no doubt in her little mind that I had heard and that I understood.

She climbed her way, jostling and pushing me around until she sat squarely on my chest, just inches from my face. Knowing that she now had my complete attention I expected her to make petition known, but she didn’t. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t ask for a thing. Instead she reached for my hand.

Words weren’t able to satisfy her need. Only Daddy’s hand was able to fill her cup, and only if the cup was in Daddy’s hand could she know her desire would be satisfied. She used her little body to wrestle my hand from what it was doing, and placed her need firmly in its grasp.

Then with her need firmly in Daddy’s grip, she offered her petition. “Please Daddy?”

Some prayers can be offered from across the room, but for the desires that truly matter, we must learn from my daughter. We must climb into Daddy’s chair, and force ourselves to where He can’t help but see us. Then we must wrestle His hand from whatever it is doing and firmly push our need into His palm. Then, with the sweetest voice and bat of the eye, we can offer our words, “Please Daddy?”