Patiently Waiting as God’s Grace Transforms Us
As someone who loves good barbecue, I’ve learned about the importance of patience. I have to sear certain cuts of meat quickly to give them just the right flavor and texture. Other cuts of meat, however, require a lot more diligence and patience. They must be cooked on low temperatures over several hours to imbibe the smoke and preserve their juicy texture and flavor.
Sanctification—the process through which God is working in our lives to make us more like him—is more similar to the art of cooking those low and slow cuts of meat. We may want Hot-N-Ready sanctification, but God is usually more like the barbecue connoisseur in the business of smoking brisket all day on a Saturday. The world offers us Ted Talks and listicles that promise pressure cooker change, but wisdom is most often found in the crockpots of everyday life.
The Pace of Grace
As Christians, we know the power of grace. Some of us were living our everyday lives when the wind of the Spirit blew on our hearts and the gentle breeze awakened us to new life. Others were on a hellbent path of destruction when the hurricane force gales of God’s Spirit swept them away into a sea of glory. Many were swimming upstream in a sea of adversity when they felt the wind at their backs to carry them through the trial. However we were saved, we all can testify to the mysterious and powerful outworking of grace (John 3:5; Titus 3:5–6).
A peculiar reality of grace, though, is that what starts in an instant seems to move slowly as we progress through life. The moment we look upon the Savior who was lifted up for us, we are saved from the plague of sin which threatened to bring us death (Num. 21:9; John 3:14–15). Instantaneously we moved from dead in sin to alive in Christ. The light switch flipped on and, all of a sudden, the darkness within us was made light!
Yet, for the maturing believer grace moves much slower. As the responsibilities of life increase and the novelty of our faith wears off, the gospel is still at work, but it can often seem more silent, evident only in the background. Still, as we behold Christ we are transformed into his image from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). This beholding happens unhurriedly as we ponder the truths of Christ—often within the context of our everyday life. We ponder how he’d respond to situations at work, as a parent, or sitting in traffic. As a wife shares a thoughtful compliment for her husband and he wraps her up in his loving arms, so we pursue Christ and He pursues us (Song 2:6; 6:3). He washes us with the Word and we become more beautiful and glorious day by day (Eph. 5:25–27).
Grace Feels Too Slow
As a father, I often battle the impatience and irritability that comes with having multiple toddlers in my home at any given moment. Poor sleep, spilled milk, tantrums, and huge messes often push me over the edge when I’ve had a rough day. I have prayed the same prayer over and over again: “Lord help me to be a more patient and loving father.”
Because sin stings and I genuinely want to be a better father, I want to see quick results. I want to sprint down the road of repentance, when God’s plan is more like a marathon. I know that he hears me and will generously give wisdom to all who ask (James 1:5), but like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, my heart often screams “I want it now!”
I want quick change because if God changes me and fixes all of my problems, I won’t have to suffer the consequences for my sin. While in some senses this is a noble desire, it often comes from a heart desiring comfort and ease rather than a true desire to love God and my children more. So often, I desire to surpass the gospel work of true heart change for a quick change in circumstances. Yet, as a good pot of chili tastes better the longer it cooks, so our souls look more like Christ the longer we dwell on his glory and goodness in our hearts. As those who have been raised with Christ, we set our eyes on things above while diligently putting to death what is earthly in us. This is hard work, but we are working in the strength of Christ as we behold his glory (1 Cor. 15:10; Col. 3:1–11).
Maturity Takes Time
The good news about slow sanctification is that Jesus is very patient with us. We see his patience on full display through his interactions with his disciples—men who always seemed to misunderstand what was going on, even after Jesus’s resurrection (see Matt. 18:1; Luke 10:17–20; John 20:24–29). Similarly, he is patient with our foibles and frailty. We are assured, too, of his long-suffering as we ponder his intercessory work in the throne room of heaven (1 John 2:1). What a joy it is to know the patience of God on our behalf!
Just as you simply can’t get burnt ends and a truly smoky pork butt in an instant pot, neither can you develop spiritual maturity in a hurry. You and I need to understand and put on the patience of Christ as we pursue godliness. The Spirit is at work through the ordinary, mundane, and typically slow means of daily Bible intake, prayer, conversation with other believers, and worship of God in the context of the local church. We may have breakthrough moments of rapid growth here and there, but generally God changes us incrementally. Nevertheless, we are being “renewed day by day” (1 Cor. 4:16), and we only have to look back to see how far we’ve come.
Embracing Slow Change
When you see sin in your life, do you look for a quick fix? Do you search Youtube for a video that promises to solve all your problems in three easy steps? Do you listen to your favorite podcast to give you a formula for change? How different would our lives look if we embraced slow change rather than reluctantly assenting to its reality in our lives?
What if we opened our Bibles and prayerfully asked God to bring about the deep heart change he calls for in his Word? How would our lives be improved if we opted for sitting at the feet of Jesus and marveling at the wisdom of God? This is not to say that we don’t need to fight our sin. God doesn’t take sin lightly. Sin brings death, and he doesn’t want us to live in habitual, unrepentant sin for any amount of time. Yet, maybe God is calling us to a long, slow, and deep heart change that offers more transformative change than a three-step quick fix ever could.
Slow down. Be still. Know our patient God, and let his patient grace slowly transform your soul. As you gaze longer upon Christ, you’ll start to look more like him, too—no matter how long it takes.
Chrys Jones (@chrys_jones) is a husband and father of four. He is a pastoral resident at Grace Church in Danville, Kentucky, and he writes regularly at dwellwithchrist.com. Chrys is also a Christian Hip-Hop artist and producer for Christcentric.