It’s been a good reminder for me. In our local family, there are several “baby sisters” (women who are brand new Christians and have their own unique needs). In the past year, these young Christians have faced all of the “regular” issues: sick children, financial issues, home repairs, problems at school, and stresses of jobs. But often, there are bigger issues that may come their way. Though some, but not all of these, may be the lingering effects of having lived years of their adult lives in the world and not in the Lord, they are real and traumatic, nonetheless.
Some of these very hard things may include abandonment by a spouse, spousal abuse, the abuse of children by an ex-spouse, immigration issues, necessary battles in court of many variations, and the inability to provide for children. These women who are young in the faith may experience terminal illness or death, of parents. The list of things that could shake a baby faith seems to never be exhaustive.
The final suggestion (#17) on my list is perhaps the biggest and hardest. I would urge you to rally around these sisters in their times of crisis. Have you ever noticed that when people come through crisis together, they have forged bonds that have a permanency that was not present before the crisis? It’s important, through times of despair that, while every bit of advice or comfort that we offer is grounded in Scripture, we are there for them. If all of the Christians around the struggling babies are supporting and encouraging them to take steps that are rooted and grounded in the Will of God, they will often emerge from tragedy in their lives, much stronger and more stable than before the crisis.
I’ve seen this so many times. When a baby sister is on “life support” that involves mature Christians, (as long as that support is Bible-centered), she just may come out of the very difficult situation ready for consuming the milk of the Word and on her way to the meat!
Babies have to grow up! Let’s help them.
Here’s the 4th little segment about helping our “baby sisters.” New Christians don’t come into the church walking the walk perfectly or talking the talk without a stutter. Here are some more ideas to help us take their hands and help them through the developmental stages: