60 Seconds or Less

I was listening to the radio this morning to a commercial about child behavior problems. Some kind of "transformation." The guy guaranteed that he could make a child change without yelling, without...well, you name it. They even said if you ordered today, they would throw in a book called "Transformation in 60 Seconds or Less." Or something like that.
That seems to be our take on Christianity. Become a Christian. Get dunked and "voila!" you're transformed. Sixty second or less and the old attitudes are gone, the old behaviors are out of there, and the the new you is there." I believe the Greek word for that is "hogwash." There is a reason our life is called a walk. It's a journey. And sometimes it takes a lifetime (and sometimes, not even then) to overcome and to transform. Praise God for grace! Paul struggled until the end of his life. I know some say that his thorn in the flesh was some kind of eye condition. But what if it wasn't? He said, "God's grace is sufficient." Suppose Paul's thorn was a sin he struggled with and he desperately needed God's grace for it.
The next time someone tries to make you feel guilty for a sin you are fighting with, don't let them. I believe Jesus said to make sure the plank is out of yours before removing the splinter in another's. And it isn't easy. It isn't automatic. And until we get to the end of our lives and can say we have finished the race, then I wouldn't fuss too much at anybody for falling short. That's what the rest of us are for. This journey is to be walked together. We help those who stumble. We rest when we're tired. We rejoice together at the end. Have a great day. JW