Failure to Thrive ∙∙∙

Failure to Thrive ∙∙∙

I have loved you with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. – Jeremiah 31:3

1 John 4:16-19

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

We love because He first loved us.

Spiritual Failure to Thrive

In the United States, approximately 5 to 10 percent of children assessed by primary care physicians are diagnosed with Failure to Thrive (FTT), a condition identified when a child’s weight or rate of weight gain falls significantly below that of others of the same age and sex. These children are often smaller in stature and may exhibit delayed, slowed, or disrupted physical growth and development. In many cases, the underlying cause is inadequate nourishment.

This condition offers a compelling analogy for the spiritual life. Many of the King’s children suffer from a kind of spiritual failure to thrive (SFTT). Their weakness is frequently the result of insufficient spiritual nourishment and an inconsistent reception and application of the truth of the Scriptures.

Just as physical growth depends upon regular and adequate nourishment, so spiritual maturity requires continual feeding upon the Scriptures. Where that nourishment is neglected, weakness follows. Growth becomes stunted, stability is diminished, and the vitality that ought to characterize the Christian life begins to fade. Spiritual strength does not develop by accident, but through the steady intake of divine truth and the faithful exercise of it in daily life.

The Weight of Past Responses

Our lives are shaped by daily choices and reactions. We can’t change past events, but we are responsible for how we respond to them. Many carry a heavy burden of painful memories filled with fear, suffering, and deep wounds. When we dwell on these past experiences, it can have serious consequences, disturb our peace now, and harm our future. As we reflect, we face an important choice: whether to see these experiences as part of God’s loving and wise plan, viewing them as opportunities for spiritual growth and becoming more like Jesus Christ, or to see them as lasting injuries and burdens that hold us back. The latter often causes spiritual stagnation, trapping us in ongoing struggles and blocking our spiritual progress.

Choosing Life Instead of Bondage

The film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade powerfully demonstrates the importance and impact of human decisions. The Grail Knight warns, “You must choose. But choose wisely. For as the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.” Although this scene is rooted in popular culture, it effectively emphasizes a vital spiritual truth: the choices we make are never insignificant.

Time and again, we are faced with decisions between love and peace or fear and torment. Sadly, fear and torment often influence our identity and inner life more than they should. This was never God’s plan for His children. He never intended for them to remain in spiritual captivity, trapped within a “Temple of Doom,” and plagued by shadows of the past.

Christ’s Gift of Abundant Life

Jesus clearly stated that His purpose is to give life, not just a minimal existence, but a full and abundant life.

John 10:10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

This promise directly opposes the paralysis of fear and the oppression of torment. His aim isn’t for His followers to remain stuck in their past, but to walk freely in the fullness, healing, and abundance that He has provided for them.

REFLECT & PRAY

What has occurred cannot be changed, nor can the past be relived or rewritten. However, we now have before us a present and future held securely within the loving and comforting arms of our Father God.

Father, I often find myself wishing that I could gather my past experiences and leave them behind for good. Please strengthen me to make wise decisions, to resist the hold of fear and torment, and to embrace the freedom that comes from living in Your truth.

INSIGHT

Living Water Instead of Tormenting Thirst

Rather than constant thirst, the Lord Jesus Christ provides the plentiful waters of God’s Spirit. He doesn’t merely relieve temporary spiritual dryness; He grants the lasting fullness of divine life to everyone who believes in Him.

John 7:37-39:

“Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

(When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)”

The Love That Begins Everything

For the children of the King, everything begins with understanding and experiencing His limitless, joyful love. This love stems from His gracious initiative to come near to us, not in our feeble attempts to reach Him.

1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.”

The Father wishes for His children to experience an environment of love, safety, and confidence instead of fear, dread, and despair. We can trust that we are being molded and empowered by His perfect love, so there’s no need to fear life or death.

Freedom from Fear, Guilt, and Condemnation

Children of the King need not worry about the future since sin was once for all dealt with through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. We also should not be held back by past guilt. Our relationship with the Father has always been based on His love, not our efforts. Reconciliation did not start with us. In fact, many of us once ignored Him, resisted His will, or even opposed Him. Despite that, He chose to love us even when we were in that condition.

Romans 5:8, 10:

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

The Father showed His love for us even before we became part of His family, despite our rebellion against His will. If His love reached us while we were His enemies, then the security and hope we now have as His children are far greater than we can begin to imagine.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

Fear of punishment should have no place in a life rooted in the Father’s love. As His love becomes clearer, fear naturally diminishes.

1 John 4:18: “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

There’s no need to fear the Father. As His love becomes more real to us, our love for Him grows stronger. As this relationship deepens, fear diminishes over time. Worries about potential outcomes begin to fade, especially when one realizes that many fears are illusions rather than actual threats. Understanding this truth exposes one of the enemy’s most destructive strategies.

Fear: A Form of Bondage

Fear stands in direct opposition to love. Paul describes servile fear as a kind of slavery, and much human suffering comes from submitting to its control. When people become consumed by anxious thoughts about what may happen, they often suffer deep spiritual and emotional distress. Christ, however, offers an entirely different message, one of freedom rather than bondage.

John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

The freedom provided by Christ is not superficial or temporary. It is the deep and abiding freedom that comes from being reconciled with the Father through the Son.

The Father Revealed in the Son

The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the way, the truth, and the life. Access to the Father is found through Him alone. To know the Son is to know the Father He perfectly reveals.

John 14:6-7:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will know my Father also.”

This is the true freedom and joy of the Christian life: believers are not left to search for God in uncertainty but are brought into living fellowship with the Father through the Son.

The Everlasting Love that Secures the Future

His hands securely hold the future. Our trust isn’t founded on ideal circumstances but on God’s everlasting love and the assurance of His purposes.

Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love, and with unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.”

Human history is moving steadily toward the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has not left His followers in ignorance about the ultimate purpose of all things. As a result, the appropriate response is not fear, but joyful anticipation.

Revelation 22:20: “He, who is the faithful witness to all these things, says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”

Spiritual growth involves more than just wishing to improve. It requires consistent nourishment from the Scriptures, faithful application of divine truth, and a daily choice to accept the life Jesus Christ offers instead of succumbing to the bondage of fear.

True freedom and deep spiritual rest are found in Him alone. This freedom springs from knowing the Father through the Son, accepting the love that drives out fear, and trusting that both the present and future are secure in His care.

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© Dr. H 2026