By Pastor Rodney Tilley
Awhile back I was driving on the Interstate and in the car next to me I noticed a girl sucking her thumb. She had a nice new car and looked to be in her mid 20s, and at first I was taken back for I knew I was mistaken, for she was too old to be sucking her thumb, especially in her car for all to see. The traffic was heavy that day and so as our cars passed each time again, I noticed she was there, still sucking her thumb just like a baby.
I thought, “Who am I to judge?” and then surmised that maybe in heavy traffic it could be a way to handle the stress. I suppose there is comfort in things familiar, for she was definitely finding comfort and solace in that thumb.
But people do find comfort in things that they know, and in circumstances that they are familiar with. When you were young, many of you went to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or to Scouting, and it was there in the church that you found comfort. You had a great time with friends and with God, but now that you are older, you think you do not need the church, nor church activities, and you do not need the things of God.
But wait, look again, maybe you are restless and dissatisfied because the things you did and the things you know are the very items that are missing in your life. You are seeking comfort in the wrong areas, when comfort can be found in those areas once familiar to you.
The Bible says, “Come unto me…. And I will give you rest,” and as a child you might have listened to the Bible stories of Jesus calming the storm, and it comforted you when lightning struck and thunder roared. When you were sick with a fever, you could hear your parents or grandparents praying for you, and again it brought peace and a bolstering of one’s spirit. Then later, when life’s trials found broken friendships and sleepless nights, you found assurance in the intimacy of Christ.
Let me tell you- it is time to go back; back to church, back to family, back to God, and back to peace. Jesus said, “My peace I give you,” and that peace is better than reverting back to thumb sucking and security blankets. There is comfort in old familiar places, and with old familiar smells, and there is peace and additional comfort with a God who is familiar with you.
So put the thumb away and take that hand and place it in the hand of Christ, thumb and all, and find comfort in all things Biblical. It is time to mature into an adult both in your behavior and in your religious experience. Stop sucking your thumb and stop playing the game, it is time to be all that Christ has asked you to be- adult and all.
For more information on the maturity of the Christian, please call Pastor Rodney at 432-207-0015.
