He Took The Elevator And His Faith Died

The Christmas season is about something small—the BABY JESUS—becoming the most powerful force in history. And that makes me think about the importance of taking BABY STEPS to spiritual maturity—a difficult task in our one-click society that demands instant requests. Instant gratification. And, yes, instant SPIRITUAL MATURITY!

Here’s the way I look at it…
  
The express elevator promises to zoom us to the 50^th floor and we think: “STAIRS OR ELEVATOR?”
  
“Stairs? Are you kidding me!? I’m taking the ELEVATOR.”
  
If you connect this metaphor with our Christian life, taking SPIRITUAL STAIRS is often the only way to reach our full potential in Christ. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth and maturity.
  
Taking the metaphorical elevator in our faith walk has a significant DOWNSIDE…
  
The trip to the 50^th floor goes through the 10^th, 20^th, the 30^th, and the 40^th floors first. Rushing past the lower floors makes our journey an incomplete experience. And that is exactly how it is with our faith walk.
  
Earlier in my faith walk my bloated “to-do list” and succeed-at-all-costs, money-driven approach to life treated everything as URGENT and I chose the elevator every time.
  
God has shown me how important it is to identify a transformative faith step—the first flight of stairs—and then use that energetic stride as a catalyst to move ever closer to him.
  
That’s why I do not take the spiritual elevator.
  
We want immediate gratification by zooming to the 50^th floor.
  
Following Christ doesn’t work like that…never has, never will.
  
Thinking about the BABY JESUS at Christmas should make us immediately think about the next baby step we will take to grow in Christ.
  
I ask God to keep me from pursuing instant gratification in my spiritual walk. To help me see the value in every step I take toward him. That BABY STEPS are OK.
  
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
  
Are you taking God’s stairs or the elevator in your effort to move closer to him? What faith step—the first flight of stairs—could you take this week?
  
“Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1