insomnious thoughts on the journey and brokenness

alternate title: reminding myself




From Flashbang, by Mark Steele:

I do believe there is an instant change that man cannot fake or create. The power of God does transform, but what that looks like has been radically miscommunicated. There is an insinuation that when your sin gets the best of you, run to God, and He will miraculously make all better, no problem. That on Saturday you're running into destruction and Sunday running into the arms of God and that there is no road or pain between the two. That simply isn't true, and it shouldn't be true because God isn't concerned with us feeling good. He's concerned with us growing in character--and pushing through the pain of adversity to make the right decision in what makes us men and women of character. God loves the road in between the two because He cares more for what we become than the big finish.*

*emphasis mine


Part of me wants to disagree, to yell and scream that God is, in fact, concerned with us feeling good, but a quick reflection on my past proves He's up to something more than comfort.

Another insinuation we make is that this "big finish" is a conversion experience. Yes, that is a vital step in the process, but we are wrong to carry this with us as our before & after image. Paul tell the Philippians to "work out [their] salvation" meaning its more than a decision to surrender.

This seems like a simple idea, not even worth discussing, but I think that though we acknowledge it in our head, we don't believe it in our heart. We wonder why we continue to sin, we drown ourselves in gult, we exhaust ourselves trying to do better...*

We're all broken people, even as Christ followers. Our struggles are not complete failure, they are chances for God to fix us, to take another broken piece of us and put it where it belongs so that we continue to grow into who He intended us to be.

*all second person pronouns should probably be replaced with first person, but I really don't think I'm alone in this.