Most people, at one time or another, want to snap their fingers and, instantaneously, BE. You know: BE accomplished and successful. BE happy and healthy. BE needed and loved. For Christians, we want to BE a mature and sanctified believer spending time every day in perfect SOLITUDE with God.
Many people long for this kind of bliss to be free from being pestered by the messy parts of life that never seem to “come together.” But that is an UNATTAINABLE FANTASY produced by our flesh dwelling in a world built to create this throbbing desire to BE “right now.”
This desire for lightning quick transformation to BE defined and animated my early faith walk. I lived out my life, and faith, based on a business model of setting goals, working hard, and being tenacious to cross the finish line successfully.
What a joke. How could I have missed it by so much?
By not fully surrendering every part of my life to Christ. By not obeying him. By not being guided by everything written in his WORD.
Once he brought me across that learning line, it became clear that the goal has nothing to do with me wanting to BE a mature believer with a faith firing on all cylinders.
I could see then that BEING is a set and firm destination while BECOMING is a never-ending journey.
Here’s the point that has completely transformed my faith walk:
FIRST: I realized God does not see me as I see myself. He sees me hidden with Christ in God…RIGHT NOW. That is the BE he wants us to embrace.
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3
SECOND: After accepting that promise from God to be ALREADY TRUE, I started my never-ending trek to BECOME more and more like HIM.
Along the way I have learned that we cannot rush spiritual growth. We want to BE now, but God wants us to BECOME over time and never stop in that pursuit. WHY? Because thinking we have arrived at “full spiritual maturity” is when we start living like we’ve “got this on our own.”
I ask God to remind me every day that spiritual maturity is a process of BECOMING—not a destination ending to BE.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you trying to BE fully mature right now? Or are you focused on BECOMING closer and closer to Christ over time and allowing him to shape your spiritual growth?
“Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
