Romans 14 and 15 address such a challenge between the strong and the weak in the church. In addition, Scripture admonishes that the strong should lovingly bear with the weak. In other words, it is God’s design for them to be together and to help each other joyfully grow.

Last week, I took my two boys for a walk. Our youngest is two. When we walked out of the gate, I knew where we were headed and how long it would take us to get there. However, there was a problem. If I walked at my pace, my son would have to run to keep up. If we walked at his pace, getting there would take a while. If I carried him the whole way, I would be tired, and he would miss the exercise that would strengthen his body.

In many ways, that is a perfect picture of the body of Christ. The church is comprised of people at different stages of Christian maturity. For this reason, it is often a challenge to figure out the pace at which the body should move. Some struggle with issues that others deem non-issues. Some clearly understand where they should be and what they need to do to get there, while some have to be convinced about the need to go first!

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