We live in a culture of instant gratification. We want new, and we want it now. I remember being told many times that patience is a virtue. Maybe it’s a virtue we’ve lost. I know that I can speak for my generation when I say that we want to get results fast. We’ve got streaming video, constantly updating facebook, instagram, and twitter feeds. Our smartphones keep us in touch with the now, and we like it that way. We want the body of action hero’s in the time it takes to microwave a tv dinner. Those things don’t go together.
Things take time. If you want to loose weight, you have to be diligent in working out, and eating right, and no those abs are not going to appear overnight. It’s a work in progress. Your mindset is changed, and you’re committed to change, but the results are not quite there yet. Time is a funny thing. Some days we want to slow down, and sometimes we want to speed them up. But we’re stuck. Time will not pass any faster or slower for you. We have the time that we have.
In the movie “Click” Adam Sandler plays an overworked architect. He has a wire and two kids that love him, but he’s always working. He promises and promises that once he makes partner in his firm that he will have the time to spend with his family. So, he gets impatient. He starts wishing he could just fast forward life, and get to the point he has been working so hard for. He meets Christopher Walkin’s character and receives a universal remote. One that can actually fast forward his life. Of course things get out of control and Sandler ends up an old man in about 20 minutes and his whole life has flashed. He ended up ruining everything he was trying to build.
Sounds like a cool thing to have at first. A remote that could just fast forward time to the place we want. Problem is, we need all of this time. We cannot be like Jesus instantly, and we can’t expect others to be either. Jesus works on us over time. Like a master sculptor, He chisels away at us. Breaking off pieces until we are a masterpiece. That takes time. Paul says, “I am confident that He who began a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus.” Philippians 1:7. Jesus starts a good work in us when we turn to Him. But, perfection is something that we will not see until the day of Jesus. It’s a process. We are an unfinished work. God’s not finished with us yet. He’s not finished with any of us yet.
Sometimes it seems like we let our desire of instant gratification to take over. We see Jesus changing people and wonder why He is not changing us, just like them. We should all realize that we are all messed up in our own special little ways. You are unique. My Pastor , Pat Kestell, explained it like this, “If someone is a drug addicted axe murderer, maybe Jesus takes care of the axe murdering part before the drug part.” Makes a lot of sense.
We are a work in process, and God is working on our hearts and lives every second of every day. There is no reason for us to be anxious. He will change you, if you let Him.
In Him,
Pastor Cam
