Mephibosheth’s nurse was in a hurry. Envision her hastening the lad along the path. They were escaping from soon-to-be King David. In haste, the nurse dropped him. Mephibosheth was permanently injured. We don’t know what Mephibosheth might have become: a warrior, an ambassador, a musician, or perhaps a prophet. Instead, Mephibosheth would be perpetually lame. He would eventually live in David’s palace. He would enjoy favor and blessing.
The loss is in what Mephibosheth might have accomplished. Instead of receiving a blessing, he might have been a blessing. Haste made waste! Do we do the same with spiritual babies? How do we hurry them along?
- Church planters, actually all pastors can be hasty in putting a convert or transferring saint into responsible roles of leadership. It is hard to “un-leader” those who you have decreed to be leaders. It is even harder to do it without injury to the one being de-commissioned.
- Haste in expecting a newcomer to respect and value the things I value. Tithe and offering, modesty, a life of relative simplicity are Biblical values. These are like a foreign language to a new convert. The spiritual baby can learn the language, but like all new languages, it will take time.
How do we overcome the harm of hurry?
- Stop assuming anything and accept spiritual babies as being exactly that – babies.
- Deal with new converts in a structured systematic way. For decades, Take Root, Bear Fruit and Fitly Framed have served well. Explore these resources at CarltonCoonsr.com. With varied interruption, the three classes take 8-9 months to complete. I’m in no hurry.
Mephibosheth had provision and protection. He became a ward of the king’s household. To our knowledge, Mephibosheth accomplished little with his life.
- A lifelong limitation will happen if a convert does not learn to comprehend the Bible for themselves.
- Converts limp through life if they don’t learn how to have a personal devotion.
Slow down . . . take some time. Develop people to become something significant for God.