funny misconceptions

I was thinking this morning about the perception of of Christians.  I think that many spend a lot of time thinking about what non-christians think about them and about their faith.  I'm not here to try to dissuade anyone from believing what they want or to try to proselytize anyone.  I'm here to say a few things about what it is really like to follow Jesus.


1)  It is much harder than anyone thinks it is.  I think there's this bait-and-switch mentality which people attempt to evangelize.  We give the impression that Jesus wants to make your life easier and better for you. In a way he does.  His desire is for us to follow Him and to shape us more like Jesus.  He means it.  Not on any time scale we think, but on His.  Sometimes urgent, sometimes slow, He works on us at all different speeds.  I've found that once that initial commitment to Jesus wears off that we're all left with trying to become actual disciples, which is hard.  Sanctification is hard folks, and if it's not you should check your heart.  


2) It is not about outward changes, but inward.  Anyone can change their behavior.  But Jesus knows our hearts, the desire behind how we act.  He said that if we lust in our hearts we've committed adultery with that woman.  Now this isn't some legalistic way of tightening the reigns on our actions, but to give even all of our thoughts to Him.  He took everything that we are and do and made it into a heart condition.  Where our hearts lie is also our desires.  We constantly have to be checking our hearts because fundamentally they are flawed and only Jesus can change them for the better.  When we change it's behavior modification, when Jesus changes us it's our heart.


3)  It is SO much BETTER than anyone thinks it is.  To quote Tom Hanks in "A League of their Own", "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." It is hard and that's one thing that makes it worth it.  The other is that Jesus is worth it.  He's worth any pathetic attempt I have to follow, and believe me it's pathetic.  But he doesn't mind my pathetic attempt.  He doesn't mind that I am where I am although I wish "I were farther".  We're so linear and God is not.  He walks along side of us through all of this and He truly loves us.  I think the whole thing is amazing.  He has redeemed us.  We may have bad days, weeks, years, but He will redeem them all for His glory.  All of my failures, then, now and future He has made right and redeemed.  


My walk is different than I thought it would be.  I love that.  I thought it would be a steady climb through sanctification.  I thought I'd always be getting better.  But it's not like that.  We fall.  We hurt.  We don't trust Jesus.  We do what we want.  God will let us have the desire of our hearts, and if it's not Him, He permits it.  But when we to idolize other things and run away from Him, He's right there again like the prodigal son with open arms and loving grace.  The old hymn had it right: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."  I wish more people would dwell in those words than sing some melody with worthless words.  They are powerful.