Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, March 24, 2023
On a neighborhood walk a little over a week ago, Shelley spotted this dropped sandwich-corner and drew my attention to it. It wasn’t the only one—there were three other such corners on the sidewalk within a square yard of each other.
You know what must have happened, right? A little kid, munching through a sandwich whose contents look like peanut butter, reached the crust and stopped munching. It’s not like this is tough, wholesome bread, whose crusts might indeed be dentally intimidating. No, this looks like soft white bread. But to the child, there’s still something off-putting about the crust.
Did you shun crusts when you were that age? I have a vague early memory of doing so, though I rapidly came to love bread-and-butter-and-sugar so much that I soon forgot my prejudice and just started scarfing everything down.
This reminds me of an interesting couple of verses in Hebrews 5:
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13 – 14 NKJV)
As I mentioned, I no longer shun bread-crusts. In fact, the “heels” are often my favorite parts of the loaf. I’ve discovered the unsurpassable joys of tough, gnawable whole wheat or sourdough bread.
Hebrews is saying that infants prefer—and appropriately so—the softer, “beginnner’s” food. But most soon graduate to what their growing bodies needs.
Take a moment to chew on three Bible passages about spiritual maturity, at the link just below. (While you’re doing that, I’ll go see if Shelley will fix me a couple of pieces of toast!)