Yes to the Process

Yes to the Process

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

 —2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Grace is the life-blood of Jesus. When His grace opened your heart, you received His life and the same power that brought Him up from the grave. Perhaps you are not aware that you have this same power living in you. Perhaps you live in your human weakness, unware that His grace is sufficient. Your mind is where you believe.  If you will allow, His grace will convince you that He is sufficient to meet any need. 

The mind (soul) is where belief shapes you. It is the place where you are quick to judge your human weaknesses and feel defeated when change seems far away. His grace forever remains free of judgment and loves you right where you are. Jesus doesn’t judge your process. He knows change is spiritual healing and takes time. He is with you each step of the way. 

“Not only will God and His grace be with you in every step of the healing process, but God will be pleased with you at every step of the process,” David Seamands writes in Healing of Damaged Emotions. “Grace is not a commodity but our Lord Himself coming to us in His graciousness. A loving gracious God accepts us as we are, offers Himself lovingly to us right here and now, not when we shape up.” 

You can become so frustrated when you don’t change fast enough. 

“God is as pleased with you in this process as loving parents when their child starts to walk,” Seamands continues. “Those are exciting days in a home, especially with the first child–the child stumbles, knocks over the furniture. But do the parents scold him, tell him how displeased they are because he isn’t doing a perfect job? Does Dad shout ‘You ought to do better than that, kid’? Does Mother chime in with, ‘That sure was a stupid step you took; no wonder you fell and hurt yourself?’ Do you see how we so often have made God into a neurotic parent? If Jesus were preaching His Sermon on the mount, He might paraphrase this idea. ‘If you being evil, know how to do that well when teaching your child to walk, how much more will the heavenly Father be pleased with every step in your healing process?’ (Matthew 7:11). God will be pleased with you every step of the way.”

As a child, you learned to see yourself through your parents’ eyes and reached to meet their expectations. As you grew you learned your identity from the relationships you had with other people. You believed what other people thought of you. Now God wants you to believe who He says you are and not what you perceive others think. And who are you in Him? You have His identity. His grace declares you clean in His righteousness. His grace declares you healed in His power. But for you to understand the spiritual transformation which takes place, you need the courage to be healed. God empowers you to overcome weaknesses at each step of the process. The Holy Spirit breathes the living grace of His presence all along the way.

Do you strive to live up to what you feel God wants and are actually reaching to meet expectations that are not from Him? Perhaps they are misconceptions of what others think and God is attempting to breathe His grace into your strife. You can NEVER live up to expectations He has NOT placed on you. The Holy Spirit wipes off the false expectations of your life. He shows you who Jesus declares you are. 

God heals you according to His perfect schedule. Instead of anger at what you consider your slow progress, turn the process of change into a prayer of thanksgiving for His grace each step of the way! Seek His truth in His Word, and grow in His grace. Never despair when you climb two steps, and slide back one step. Remember healing is a process, and He is transforming you according to His perfect schedule.

“Let perseverance finish its work,” James writes, “so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4, NIV). 

Now, this is a promise! His grace will destroy the false reflections that have defined who you are, and you will see His truth of the person He has made you. Say yes to the process.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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