Where does one begin to describe or explain all that goes into making each one of us who we are? They say that the human body is approximately 60% water but that only speaks of the physical body. I'm talking about the essence of who we are. I'm talking about what makes us do the things we do and think the things we think. Why one of us reacts one way to something said or done while another will react quite differently to the same thing. Perhaps it is one of the most intriguing things to consider; we are individuals and there has never been any two of us who were exactly alike.
To answer this question we might likely begin with the science of DNA. Without a doubt, our individual biological makeup has a significant impact on who we are. I am convinced that everything following conception goes into forming our individual personalities. This would include our prenatal experience, our childhood development, parental influences, and relationships with other adults, friendships, significant events, traumatic experiences, etc. And of course there is the matter of sin, the one constant factor that we all share. Both our own and the sin that affects the whole of God's creation. I know this is not an all-inclusive explanation but it represents my feeble attempt at describing the complexity of our individuality.
Please bear with me as I share some thoughts regarding this matter. First of all, I'm reminded of a truth about our God that we should note and be in awe of. God is intimately aware of each and every detail that has gone into making each one of us who we are. Imagine the millions of people who have lived upon the earth since its creation. None have escaped His notice. Not one has been unknown by Him. He is keenly aware of the minutest detail in each of our lives. For the believer in Christ this is both a sobering and reassuring truth. Since He knows us intimately in every way, He knows how best to work in our lives as He works through the process of sanctification, conforming us to the image of His beloved Son.
This leads me to my other thought on this matter which is really the focus of what I felt lead to write about in this article. I will summarize it this way. I believe that God would have us pause for a moment and consider the complex makeup of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The next time you sit in church during a morning worship service, a Sunday school class, a bible study or prayer meeting, consider those who sit with you. As close as you may be to some of them, it is impossible for you to know the intimate details of all that has gone into making them who they are. Because of sin, this one thing we do know; to some degree each one of us was broken and God is in the process of making all things new.
Now I am fully aware that when someone comes to faith in Christ they are born again and by God's miracle of regeneration, they are made a new creature in Christ. And I know there are stories of those whose lives were transformed miraculously in a short period of time from the broken person they were before their salvation. But my caution is this. The process of sanctification is as individual as the people who compose the body of Christ. And we would do well to remain mindful of this. I am not suggesting that we excuse the behavior of those who are conducting themselves contrary to the word of God and biblical Christian behavior as that would be contrary to God's word. But we should remember that He knows each of His children better than they know themselves and that He is not idle in His fatherhood of each one.
The limitations in the work of sanctification and renewal are with the broken and not the mender. I know full well that God is able to do "exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think". God may be able to put all of the pieces of our lives together in a moment but can these vessels of ours bear so much repair so quickly? Again, the answer is that some can and some cannot. But God is the only one who knows the difference and not us. As previously stated, I know that there are exceptions, but God seems to often work as follows. He will patiently and carefully repair a portion of our lives that was broken and when the repair has healed, or mostly healed, He will move on to the next area of our life, renewing us as only He can and as only He knows best. Look around. Look at yourself. This work of His is no small task. But again, it is not the Potter who lacks the ability to mold the clay into something beautiful but the clay that is smitten with all sorts of impurities. Perhaps when He took hold of you, you were hardly pliable, not indicating a lack of power on His part but perhaps the depth of the scar tissue in your life and His patience to mold you with mercy. As the water of His word is added to and made part of your life you become more moldable in the Potter's hands.
That we all need to have our minds renewed is indisputable. That sanctification is God's will for our life is without question. But the process and progress will never be exactly the same for any two of His children. Oh, The Way is the same and the His resources are un-expendable. Again, I ask that you pause for a moment to consider the members of the body of Christ. We dare not fail to acknowledge that some of our brothers and sisters in Christ have been broken mercilessly by sin. Perhaps it was their own sins or perhaps it was the sins of others. And we dare not forget that God is working in each of our lives. It is an ongoing process and we are all at different points along the way.
I may respond in a certain way to a particular situation or incident. But the woman who sits a few pews up and several feet over may respond differently. Perhaps it is because of the years of physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, the person who should have cared for and nurtured her like no other. The person she longed to be loved by. And the young lady who has been coming to church for the last year, what about her? Perhaps she is struggling because she is only now learning to trust anyone or allow a single person into her world that God is rebuilding. When her father sexually abused her repeatedly when she was just a little girl, he left emotional scars in the deepest area of her heart and mind that still impact her life today. She is growing in Christ, perhaps not as fast as others would hope, but much renewing of the mind is needed. She is trying to trust Him but there are times that it seems so hard. And the man down at the end of the far pew, God is renewing his mind also. It was difficult for him to see and hear his mother being battered repeatedly over the years. But he seemed to lose part of his soul when he found her dead one morning, the result of her last beating when he was 9 years old.The man over there in the second row, he lost his wife and three dear children in a car wreck and although it was many years ago, God began a good work in him, opening his heart to the savior and is still patiently renewing his heart and mind.
As I have already mentioned, I write these things, not to find excuses for Christians to be un-Christ like in their conduct, but for us to understand the task that lies before the Lord and His desire for us to love and help one another as He works to renew our minds. May we be careful and prayerful in our interactions with one another and not be a hindrance to the Potter as He is molding His clay.
I almost forgot Humpty Dumpty. To the best of my recollection, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall and Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But God could have. Like Humpty Dumpty, we have all been broken as the result of a great fall. But we need not look to all the king's horses and all the king's men to put the pieces of our lives back together again. In fact, why would we? All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't even put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Why do we go to them to mend our hearts and minds? We can go to the One who "upholds all things by the word of His power". He is the One who is able to create in us something new and not just repaired. A new mind. A new hope. A new life.
Lord, not for excuse sake, but for the sake of the body of Christ and those who are its members, one of another, help us to pause and consider the uniqueness and complexity of who we are and how we came to be that way. You know each of us intimately and for that we are thankful. You know our brokenness and we praise you that you are able and know how best to make all things new. As you work in our lives, may the Lord Jesus be glorified as you mend these vessels that were once broken and without means of being renewed. Father, may you work mightily in the lives of those brothers and sisters in Christ who have been so broken by the effects of sin. As only you can, may you use us to help one another while you renew our hearts and minds.
No comments:
Post a Comment