I thought I remembered pretty much everything there was to know about babies. After all, I had already been a mom! But becoming a Mimi has reminded me that even when we’ve done something before, there is always something new to learn.
One of the things that surprised me most was my grandson’s hunger. When my babies were little, I had them on a schedule. If it had only been two hours since they had eaten, I might have thought, “You can’t possibly be hungry yet!” I remember watching the clock and trying to make it to the next feeding.
But things have changed a little since becoming a Mimi. I’ve learned that sometimes a baby is simply hungry—and when he’s hungry, he needs to eat!
My grandson seemed to be always hungry those first few weeks. He would cluster feed, sometimes wanting milk again almost as soon as he had finished. It seemed like he could never get enough. He was growing, developing, and letting everyone know when he was ready for more.
Now, at five weeks old, things have slowed down a little. He still eats well, but he isn’t quite as constantly hungry as he was in those first few weeks. And as I watched that change, I couldn’t help but think about our spiritual lives.
Sometimes, as Christians, we begin our walk with God with that same kind of hunger. We can’t get enough of His Word. We want to learn. We want to understand. We want to know more about Jesus. We look forward to Bible study, worship, devotions, and conversations about our faith.
But somewhere along the way, that hunger can begin to fade. We get comfortable. Life gets busy. We become familiar with the stories we’ve heard many times before. We may still attend church and do all the “right” things, but our desire to actually know God’s Word and grow closer to Him can quietly become less urgent.
Peter gives us a beautiful reminder:
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” — 1 Peter 2:2
God doesn’t want us to outgrow our hunger for Him. In fact, Peter tells us to crave His Word like a newborn craves milk.
That makes me think about the children at KCC Kidz. One of the things I love watching is their excitement when they discover something new in God’s Word. They are learning Bible verses, asking questions, looking up Scripture, and getting excited when they remember something they’ve learned. They don’t worry about whether they already “know” a story. They want to know more!
Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that we need to become like little children. Perhaps part of that means having the humility and excitement of a child who knows there is always more to learn.
When was the last time you were hungry for God’s Word?
Not just hungry enough to hear a sermon on Sunday, but hungry enough to open the Bible because you genuinely want to hear what God has to say. Hungry enough to ask questions. Hungry enough to memorize His Word. Hungry enough to let Scripture challenge you, change you, and draw you closer to Jesus.
A baby doesn’t have to be convinced that it needs milk. It simply knows it is hungry.
Maybe that’s something we need to rediscover.
Let’s not allow comfort, busyness, familiarity, or routine to satisfy us to the point that we stop craving the thing our souls need most.
Don’t lose your hunger.
Keep opening God’s Word. Keep asking questions. Keep learning. Keep growing. And maybe, when we see the excitement in our children as they learn God’s Word, we should let them remind us what it looks like to be hungry again.