Time to Learn

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1; Galatians 5:22-6:2

"Mom," Jade said as she helped put food away after dinner one evening, "I'm confused."

"About what?" Mom asked.

"Well, Alice acts like she's better than some kids at school, and she says mean things to them. She told me she trusted Jesus as her Savior recently, but if she really did, she should be nicer. We've been studying the fruit of the Spirit in church, but she acts like she never heard of it."

As Jade loaded the dishwasher, her grey kitten jumped up on the counter, causing a big mess. "Coco! Get down!" Jade scolded, and Coco jumped down and walked calmly away. "Now I have to clean up this mess! Sometimes I wish I didn't even have a cat. She can be such a pain!" grumbled Jade as she wiped the counter.

"Do you want to give Coco away?" Mom asked.

Jade shook her head. She picked up Coco and stroked her soft fur. "I can't expect you to know everything you need to yet. You're still a baby, and I'm not going to give up on you and give you away," she told her.

"That's right," Mom said. "You need to train her and teach her how to behave. Most of all, you have to be patient with her." Mom paused. "And I'm sure you don't really want to give Alice away either."

Jade looked puzzled. "Give Alice away? What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't want to give up on her. She's a baby too--what the Bible calls an 'infant in Christ.' She needs time to learn lessons from God's Word and for the Holy Spirit to work that knowledge out in her life. He's helping all of us learn and grow in our relationship with Jesus and shaping us to be more like Him. So be patient with Alice and help her learn those things, the way God is patient with us."

"But how can I help her learn?" asked Jade.

"Be a good friend and teach her by your example," said Mom. "Invite her to programs at church like Bible club so she can learn more about Jesus and meet other Christian kids."

Jade grinned. "Okay. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

-Vicki L. Reinhardt