In my last blog I talked about this scripture from 1 Corinthians: “For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding: I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.”

I also said that when I intercede for someone, I picture them in my mind’s eye, I pray with my understanding for God to be with them and speak to them as I pray in tongues, then when the words or pictures take shape in my mind, then I give the interpretation (or at least I give them what I’ve gotten and hope it’s close to the mark). Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes there is silence in my mind for a few moments. Sometimes it’s not a word, but a picture, a gesture,  or even a dance (thankfully, this usually happens when I’m alone. It’s a me and Jesus thing!)

I’m sure in the beginning, it was hit or miss. I was that baby feeding herself for the first time who got more oatmeal on me than in me. 

I don’t know if I also have the gift of teaching or not, but I’ve taught bible and homeschool classes on occasion. Sometimes I think maybe I got more oatmeal on my students than in them. The Spirit’s gifts are tools that require skills that grow with practice. And practice can be messy, even embarrassing.

Which leads me to today’s thought. We practice at the same table. Like that child learning to feed himself, or herself with a spoon, we come to God’s table as one family and we all sit down together and share the same meal. Some are older children and more proficient, some are toddlers learning new skills, some are infants being brought along one bite at a time. And occasionally, even older children will knock over their milk and make a mess.

Family life is like that. It’s a little clumsy and disorderly, but there is enough structure that we all have a seat and a place to practice and grow together and enjoy each other along the way.

This is important because so often in our culture there is little room for error. Performance is practically an idol in today’s society. We forget to be patient and forgiving of others when they are trying new skills. We are easily offended when someone tries to share something with us that isn’t “prophetic.” Our churches only use people in worship who are already proficient. And many of us are embarrassed or afraid to reach out and try new forms of worship or expressions of our gifts for fear of looking foolish.

But God made childhood as the seedbed of adulthood. We start small and grow. The work of childhood is play! They play at the skills of adulthood and make games that mimic the things they are learning. Play should be fun and free of judgment, (I’m not saying free from mature guidance, just forgiving of mistakes). 

I think it is a shame that we as adults lose that humility of self-expression that we had as children. We lose the freedom to play at new things and make games of the skills we are learning. We become less open and creative. God’s table welcomes children, and the joyful, playful, clumsiness that comes with them. 

“Suffer the little children to come unto Me.” Matthew 19:14 (Suffer here is for the adults not the children, it means “put up with them, and let them come.”)