Everything is Fair Game

This is a continuation of last week’s essay The Truest Shape of Ourselves, focusing on God’s sanctifying work in us.

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Photo by Jose Castillo on Unsplash

When we put our faith in Jesus—when we become a Christian, this is not the end but rather a starting point for God’s work in us. God is now at work in us through his Spirit to shape us into the image of his Son Jesus.

We saw this last week in Romans 8:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. -Romans 8:29

But here’s the thing. When it comes to God’s shaping work in us, everything is fair game.

Sistine Chapel photo by Maximilian Brand on Unsplash

Imagine commissioning Michelangelo to paint the Sistine chapel. However, the morning he arrives to begin his masterpiece, he finds a small one foot by one foot square taped off in the middle of the ceiling. “Here is your workspace, Mike. Have at it!” I have no doubt that small square will be an incredible work of art when he’s finished, but it is just that—a small square swallowed up by a whole lot of empty ceiling.

We are only left to imagine what could have been.

Is it possible we attempt to do this with God’s work in us? You can have this area of my life, but this area is off-limits to you. Stay within the lines please.

Knowingly or not, I think we do this. But why?

It is possible we are worried about what we may have to give up. Taking up our crosses is difficult if our hands are already full. Maybe we are worried it will be painful. Most likely it will be.

What I have found in my life so far—

God’s shaping work in us can be painful.
But it is always for our good.
And it is always for his glory.

Years ago, my kids were playing in the driveway when my oldest daughter slipped and fell, splitting her chin open on the pavement. I knew right away that she was going to need stitches, so I loaded her up into the car and rushed her to the hospital. The doctor came in and began to work on her, but every time the doctor got close to her with the needle, my daughter swiped, trying to knock the needle out of the doctor’s hand. The doctor was patient but finally said “Please, I’m only trying to help you. You have to let me do this if you’re going to get better.”

I wonder how many times I have swiped at the hand of God, thinking he was trying to hurt me when really he would say, “Matt, you have to let me do this. I’m only trying to help you.”

And at first, God’s shaping work may feel painful. All you want to do is push his hand away. As C.S. Lewis said, “It seems to us unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us.”

Have you ever seen someone overcome an addiction? Drugs, alcohol, pornography, social media. The decision to end the addiction often comes with great struggle. Swiping at the hand feels like the safe choice. The chisel first appears to be destroying rather than forming as the pieces crash to the ground.

There is pain before there is freedom.

Another reason we don’t want God to have access to all areas of our lives is that we are scared of what we (or he) might find. It seems easier to keep it hidden and pretend like it isn’t there.

Two years ago, we had a roof leak that started to show itself through our bathroom walls.

A sign you shouldn’t ignore…

I knew it was bad. I just didn’t know how bad. I waited until the summer to find out the extent of the damage.

And it was bad.

I started to pull back the drywall, and it was black with mold. And there were joists and studs that were rotten. The more I pulled, the worse it got. And the worse it got, the sicker I felt. I couldn’t believe this was hiding behind the walls. All this time.

As I tore it all apart, I just kept asking, “How did it get this bad?”

But I knew the answer. I wanted to stop and just close the whole thing back up. I wanted to shut the door and pretend it wasn’t happening. But could you even imagine this? Sealing up the walls knowing there was black mold and rotten framing? It would be terribly dangerous to me and the people I love most in this world.

To be “conformed into the image of the Son” means that God is going to ask us to pull back the layers. We may not like what we find. Our temptation may be to assure ourselves it is fine and just close it all back up. But God’s shaping work, his renovation of our hearts,¹ is always for our good and for his glory.

In Psalm 139, David prayed a renovation prayer of sorts. May this be our prayer too as we invite God’s shaping work in our lives.

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
-Psalm 139:23-24

1. Dallas Willard