God meets us where we are

On our journey of Spiritual Formation, as we are transformed to become more and more like Christ, God meets us where we are (Part 5 in series). We aren’t perfect when we begin this process—if so we wouldn’t need to be reshaped. It is by His grace, that God accepts us in whatever condition we come to Him, and begins to form our pliable clay (because we’ve chosen reshaping) into the image of Christ.

God meets us where we are

Robert Mulholland points out where this meeting first occurs:

The process of being formed in the image of Christ takes place primarily at the points of our unlikeness to Christ’s image. God is present to us in the most destructive aspects of our cultural captivity. God is involved with us in the most imprisoning bondage of our brokenness. God meets us in those places of our lives that are most alienated from Him. God is there, in grace, offering us the forgiveness, the cleansing, the liberation, the healing we need to begin the journey toward our wholeness and fulfillment in Christ” (p. 45).

Invitation to Journey, M. Robert Mulholland

I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced this grace first hand (more than once). When I’ve chosen the wrong path, but in time realized my sin and begged God’s forgiveness—He has always been there for me. When I repent and turn away from the sin, God has always been present to guide me down the new path—back to Him.

God met there me even when I chose the wrong path, separating me from Him. He didn’t make me wait until I blindly found the new direction on my own. As soon as I called for help, He was there to guide me.

Of course, this is uncomfortable. Wouldn’t we rather our spiritual formation focus more on our positive attributes? Where we are already on the right path? That we be recognized for the “good things” we are doing rather than our stumbles? After all, we practice devotional time with God, we pray, we worship, we love our neighbor—how about all those good things we do?

Yet, if we examine further, we acknowledge that it is where we are most distant from God that we need the transformation—the most reshaping. Thus comes the confrontation. By some channel, either through scripture, prayer, meditation, or from a loving brother or sister in Christ, we are probed to reveal some weakness. Where are we separated from Christ?

Ouch—this is the painful part—admitting that we have these weaknesses. This probing can be confrontational (particularly if from another individual) and is challenging, even when we recognize the separation and brokenness.

Brokenness and confrontation

Jesus reminds us of our brokenness in His teaching:

Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Luke 9:23-25

While we sometimes tend to label our cross as the challenges and trials we deal with in life, Mulholland believes that our cross is us:

Our cross is the point of our unlikeness to the image of Christ, where we must die to self in order to be raised by God into the wholeness of life in the image of Christ right there at that point. So the process of being transformed in the image of Christ takes place at the points of our unlikeness to Christ, and the first step is confrontation” (p. 46).

Invitation to a Journey, H. Robert Mulholland

Consecration

But permanent brokenness is not part of God’s plan for us. If we come to the point of saying YES to God at each point of unlikeness to Jesus, we receive the gift of consecration. When we are consecrated, we belong to God. We are considered holy, dedicated, and set apart for service to God (Holman).

Transformation is not forced upon us. We must give God permission to do His work on us. Even if we are in captivity, imprisoned in a cell of our own making, God will wait patiently on us to open the door and invite Him into that part of our life that is most distant from Him.

We can have confidence that both Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 61:1-2) and Jesus Christ bring assurance that God will come to us and set us free from the chains we find ourselves bound by. We are not forced to remain separated from God.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

I know that I have attributes and habits that I need to confront. These weaknesses are creating a separation between God and me. They are limiting my relationship with God. How about you?

Prayer: Father, I pray that you will meet us, right where we are, that you will search us and know our heart, confront us with our weakness and brokenness, and draw us into an ever closer relationship with you. Mold and shape us so that we may be your child and forever in your will. In the blessed name of your Son, our Savior, Amen.

Next week will be the final message in this series on Spiritual Formation, “We are all in this together”

References

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (2003). Holman Reference: Nashville.

Mulholland Jr., M. Robert. (2016). Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, IVP Books (Intervarsity Press), Downers Grove, Illinois.

Previous blogs in this series:

Part 1: Choosing a pathway

Part 2: Shaped by God

Part 3: Inviting reshaping

Part 4: Growing on the journey