Hammer on Anvil '

Did today's title grab you? It's all I could think of -- and seems to best describe the nature of this blog.

My four-year-old granddaughter, Lael, loves to dance. All you have to do is put on some good music and she's off -- nowadays closely followed by her little sister, Evie. Since Lael expressed an interest in ballet, I bought her a DVD where an instructor is teaching the five basic positions and barre exercises.

Though she seemed interested in the DVD at first, it didn't take long for Lael to express her impatience. "Grandma, I just want to DANCE! I don't want to do all this stuff!" Ah...out of the mouths of babes. In that one sentence, Lael encapsulated what many of us struggle with as Christians. We want to BE Christians, but we aren't interested in the daily practice sessions.

Recently I was crying out to God about my own "lameness," for lack of a better term, when the Holy Spirit reminded me of Lael's words. Busted. He showed me how I am just like Lael and her desire to be a ballerina. I want to be a super Christian, but often am less than interested in the discipline it takes to get there.

When Paul addressed the Corinthians about the workings of the body of Christ, he says that "if one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). For a long time, I have thought of that verse as mostly a call to compassion. You know, if a sister gets breast cancer, you cry with her and support her through it, and thereby "suffer" with her.

But I think this verse also points to the seriousness (or lack thereof) of our walk with God. If we do not give ourselves totally to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to do major housecleaning in this "temple" called our body, everything we do is tainted. When people meet us, they encounter not the living Christ, but a much less powerful being. Instead of the fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15), they may smell something much more noxious and offensive. Instead of beholding crucified flesh in which Jesus is having unhindered access, they see pride and selfishness.

A friend of mine who came out of the homosexual lifestyle and is now serving God around the world once said about his struggle: "I just wanted God to ZAP me, but God is much more interested in the long-term results." Indeed. Who of us wouldn't prefer to have God simply zap us? We would instantly be exemplary models of the faith we profess. But alas...it would be such an empty faith. A faith devoid of power and passion, because we took a shortcut rather than allowing God to hammer us into His image.

Jesus didn't take any shortcuts. He died a horrific death so that we would not spend eternity in hell for our sins. He prayed for the cup to be taken from Him, yes, but ultimately prayed for the will of His Father to be done. If we hope to be genuine followers of Christ (and not merely "fans" as Kyle Idleman describes in his wonderful book Not A Fan), we cannot take shortcuts, either.

Being hammered on His anvil is not pleasant, but I know when it's happening that I am being formed more into His image. And that's worth the pain, isn't it?