This past weekend my family came to Greenville so that we could spend some time together. While it was only a brief visit, it was a lot of fun--and this came as a surprise to me. I'm still wrestling through a lot of things when it comes to encouraging and engaging my family. My natural tendency (to be perfectly honest) is to be quiet and bitter, avoiding real interaction by playing on my phone. But on this last visit, God gave me a good attitude and helped me to be engaging and kind. And I found this really encouraging.
God spoke to me that evening in another way though. My youngest sister was born with cerebral palsy: Blood had leaked into her brain while she was still in the womb and, as a result, motor and speech functions have been impaired. She did not learn to walk by herself until she was 8, and it has taken her much longer to learn to speak than it usually does for other children. Still, I love my little sister she is truly a delight to be around. While at dinner with my mom and sisters, my mom pointed out how much she has grown. I agreed: My sister speaks so much more boldly and clearly than she used to and she is more independent than I have ever seen her. She has grown so much.
As I watched her that evening at dinner, I thought to myself how the long process of my sisters growth is similar to the (often) slow process of sanctification. Like my sister's maturing, sanctification is a process. Most of the time, I forget that--and I become frustrated and discouraged because it doesn't seem like I am making any headway in godliness. But feeling is often far from reality. Although it may be a while until I see complete victory over certain struggles in my life, nevertheless, because I am justified in Christ, and adopted, I know that I will have that victory nonetheless. One of the sweetest promises of Scripture is that God WILL complete his work of sanctification: If you are a Christian, you may be discouraged by the ugliness still in you, but be assured God and his promise are sure. It is long, it is tough, but the day will come when you will stand before him completely like Christ.
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