Reconstructive Surgery

I am afraid. I fear what it will take to conform me to the image of Christ. I am well acquainted with my stubborn selfishness, and strongly suspect that there is a somewhat willful blindness to other obstacles.

While I would prefer that these walls would be removed brick by brick, I dread the thought that that won't be the way it is. Something tells me that a Jericho experience is what is required, and this is what terrifies me. It isn't the outcome I fear, but the process.

Most people don't want crooked or misaligned teeth. But most people don't want to wear braces, either. It is painful. Ugly. Inconvenient. A lengthy process. Those who have them count the days until they are removed, and often celebrate by eating foods that had been forbidden.

It is my prayer that God will do what is necessary to bring me in alignment with His will and good purposes for me. It may be painful, and at times it may get ugly. It is most certainly inconvenient and will probably take the rest of my lifetime. But when it is completed, I will be rewarded with a beautiful smile. His.

Love Your Enemies

When we allow the Holy Spirit to show us His perspective and see someone through His eyes, it must influence--if not completely change--our own view of that person.

It's almost like Antiques Roadshow. Someone brings in an old artifact--an ugly dish, a weird figurine, a rusty tool. In their eyes it is distasteful and useless. But once the expert explains its value and purpose, the object becomes a treasure.

I believe when we pray for our enemies, the difficult people in our lives--those who mistreat and abuse us--we allow God to show us that person in a new light. Not as a thorn in our side or a source of pain, but as a broken, damaged individual. Although they may hurt us, frustrate us and make our lives more difficult, God's mercy and compassion can begin to flow through us. Praying for our enemies opens that conduit for the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and renew our minds.

We usually pray for God to remove the hard things in our lives, but God has higher purposes than our comfort and convenience. If we truly want to be a part of God's kingdom work; if we truly believe that our enemy is not of flesh and blood; when we recognize that the spiritual armor we are to put on includes being clothed in humility (not demanding my rights--picture Jesus), then God can truly transform our lives in ways we can't begin to fathom.

Difficult people are not our problem; they are opportunities for God to change us as well as being part of His plan to change them. But we can only be God's instruments when we see them through God's eyes and let the Holy Spirit guide us.