Tweetys and Puddys

Recently on one of my exhilerating walks with Julie we came across a small helpless little bird on the ground. It was obviously a baby tweety that must have fallen out of its nest. As I walked up to it the tweety bird followed me with eager eyes and then when I moved my finger close to its head, the chick opened its mouth wide expecting food. He followed me everywhere as if I were the surrogate mommy. I though how helpless this tweety was on the ground without its mother...somewhere there was a "puddy cat" just waiting to pounce on it. Tweety birds have a natural instinct to bond immediately with their mother and if one is not around other "puddys" are waiting to step in eagerly and take advantage of its vulnerability.

When we first enter in a relationship with God our natural instinct is to bond with Him. Unfortunately we let other puddys take the place of God, some bad and some good. Puddys, like church, people, or my job, can become my surrogate bond in which I seek my daily nourishment and identity and "Mommy God" is left as a distant backup or add on. Helplessly we bond with whatever forms our personhood, feeds us and takes care of us. New believers greatest need is to bond with Mommy God not the church, a program, another believer or small group. The bonding process must start early for the new tweety in order to avoid the trap of life's puddys and develop its unique identity rooted in mommy. I wonder how this concept would change discipleship in the church today?

I think I saw a puddy cat...I did, I did see a puddy cat!