Change takes time

God is building us.  God is after our hearts.  God is chipping away at us until He is formed in us fully.

This is no instant endeavor!  I always marvel at how everything in life takes time to build.  Nowhere else in the world are there "instant" results.  And yet sometimes, we Christians want the easy way through difficulties.  We want that miraculous, instant deliverance from the Lord.

Yes, He is more than able to deliver and heal instantly.  But these cases are the rare ones.  

It's not that the Lord wants to see us suffer.  But He is the Master Technician knowing exactly which tools to use to bring us to our knees.  He wants us humbly at His feet because that is where the power is!  When we are weak, He is strong.  Even the children's Sunday school song reminds us of that. 

The paradox is that He wants us strong!  Over and over again in Scripture, He tells us to be strong and courageous.  He tells us not to fear.

But where does our boldness come from?  If we rely solely on our own strength, sooner or later that will fail us, because it is limited.

But His strength is unlimited!  And as Christians, we have access to that!  If that doesn't blow your mind, nothing will!

So He chips away at our character through trials and tribulations, testings and temptations, until we come out, as Job, shining like gold.

It is a process.

The process is hard.  The process is not always fun.  The process is not always enjoyable.

So why do we stick with it?  Because we have an Advocate on our side that wants the best for us.  He is the only One who truly knows what is best for us.  

We keep our eyes on the prize - the prize is Christ Himself - because there is nothing or no one else worth living for when push comes to shove.

There are so many who accomplish great things, achieve much, in this life apart from the power of God.  I am aware of this. 

But time and time again I hear or read their stories and always, without fail, they are still seeking after something.  Something is missing in their lives but the last place they want to look, sometimes, is to their Creator.  Maybe they confuse religion with truly knowing God and are turned off by religion.  I get it.

But all the accolades and money in the world simply will not do when it comes to our souls.  Our souls were made for union with Christ and they simply will not be at peace until they come to Him.

We don't expect buildings or bridges to simply appear overnight.  Building things takes time.

The work that the Lord does in our hearts and minds and lives takes a lifetime to complete.  And even then, we're still never "done."  We become fully who we truly were made to be on the other side - in our eternal home with the Lord.  There, we have no obstacles, no enemy, no flesh to deal with any more.  There, we will be free in a way that we can never experience this side of heaven.

In the meantime (!), when we cooperate with the Lord's work in our lives - His building us - though it be very painful at times, we are being built into His likeness.  

I truly believe we don't see more examples of His likeness this side of heaven is because it is hard!  Very hard!  Ridiculously hard!  

But He is worth it.  

So we press on to know Him.  We give Him time to work in us the changes that He wants to make in us.

There is a popular quote out there, "Enjoy the process."  Frankly, unless you're a masochist, the process of becoming like Jesus is not always very enjoyable!  But He is our joy.  He is the One who is enjoyable while He takes us through the painful process of spiritual growth.

We move forward with His love, care, provision, and beautiful Presence in and with us through all of the changes that He has in store for us.  

So my quote about process would be, "Enjoy the Lord!"  Though the process be painful, let Him be your guide and comfort and Source of hope.  And one day, boy, will it all be worth it!

Dear Lord.  If I'm honest, it hurts to follow You sometimes.  The process is painful because we are so unlike you in the natural!  The work You do in us is supernatural.  Thank You for knowing perfectly how to take us through the building process of becoming more like You.  When I think about it, it is actually mind-blowing that You bother to do any work in us at all!  The Creator of the universe wants to mold us into His very image!  Wow!  Thank You for this honor and privilege, Lord Jesus Christ.  I love You.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.