It’s funny how when we really begin to grow in our relationship with Christ we sometimes get to a point where we subconsciously think we’ve reached our “spiritual maturity” peak and there’s nowhere else for us to go. Oh okay, so just me? Lol. I have truly been growing and maturing in my walk with Christ and I caught myself thinking that I had worked on every area that I was supposed to work on….and pretty much had everything under control. If you’ve also felt like this at some point let me politely pop your bubble: we will NEVER be complete in Christ until He returns. That’s why the saying says “we STRIVE for perfection.” Meaning we are not perfect. So if we’re not perfect, then we are still subject to sin….yes, even those of us who are "strong" in our faith.
"Part of the growing process is when God guts out all the things that aren't like Him....to make us just like Him."
Recently, I was confronted with a particular situation at work where I could have responded one way….but instead I took the low road and chose to respond out of my flesh…meaning what Leah REALLY wanted to say. I knew the moment I hit send I was wrong for the way I worded what I said….and as a consequence I accidentally sent the email to other people. See, when you are disobedient and don’t do things out of love…God will deal with you. In this particular situation…God dealt with me by exposing me. Here I am in my private life thinking I have everything together….I’m active in church, active in ministry….encouraging people to grow in God…..and all of that is awesome! However, God had to remind me that I am still not all that I should be. When we are growing in our walk with Christ….it is an on-going process….meaning we will always be growing. In this situation, God literally had to show me a side of myself that still wasn’t like Him. Part of the growing process is when God guts out all the things that aren’t like Him….to make us just like Him. It’s uncomfortable, it’s frustrating and in this situation extremely embarrassing but it’s all to make us better Christians.
One of the many things I love about God is that He loves us wayyyyy too much to keep us the same way we are! We may think we have it all together, but God looks at the heart. It’s nice that we take special detail in our outward appearance, but it’s worthless if our life doesn’t match with what we say and how we live. If we truly want to be people after God’s heart, we have to allow Him to operate on us….rebuild us from the inside out. Being exposed by my coworkers was a truly humbling experience. I learned that whether I’m a work or at church I am to deal with everything out of love. We should be representing Christ no matter where we are or what we do….a lesson that should be well ingrained in me by now, but somehow I forgot this important principle.
"Dealing with things through love is not only 'the right thing to do' but at the end of the day, it keeps us credible."
I thank God for grace….the opportunity for me to get it right. As imperfect people we are going to mess up, it’s inevitable. The important thing is getting it right. Although it was not an easy conversation….I did confront my coworker and with all the sincerity in the world, gave her a genuine apology. Now whether she really accepted this or not….and in some cases people may not, I had done my part. I saw how God revealed a side of me that wasn’t displaying me in a good light and I learned a valuable lesson about demonstrating love…in everything. Yes, I know this is not easy…..but it is required if we want to be more like Him. Dealing with things through love is not only “the right thing to do” but at the end of the day, it keeps us credible. I want to make sure that how I present myself at church on Sunday…is the exact same way I present myself at work on Monday, in the supermarket on Tuesday, and so on and so on. God doesn’t expose us to embarrass us, He exposes us to better us. I know I don't always get it right, but I thank God that He loves me enough to help make me look more like Him. (Proverbs 3:12) So when you end up in a similar situation or even worse situation….make the choice to act differently….choose to act out of love.
-Leah
Bible Study
*For more on this topic, check out the following scriptures:
1 Corinthians 16:14
1 Corinthians 13
1 John 3:18
James 1: 19-21
Luke 6: 27-31
Romans 12:10
thank you for reminding me that all my short cominings, downfalls and heart aches, are all working for my good, and to bring out the best in me. Thank you, excellently written.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely was a reminder to me as well! Thank you so much for reading :)
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