“What is most important about a man is not who he is, but who he is becoming.”
I have heard several variances on this quote, but each of them lead to the same idea. We are meant to be in motion from something we are into something more. Paul explains it this way to the Corinthians:
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Clearly, an important ingredient in the recipe for change is the Spirit. In Jesus, the veil (and the curtain for that matter) that separated us from God, has been removed. The band-aid of the law that covered the wound of our transgressions has been pulled off. The Spirit was left with us to guide us toward transformation into the very image of Christ… with ever increasing glory!
That is the kind of freedom that I signed up for when I first believed. It is also the kind of freedom and intended glory that I rarely saw and was virtually unrealized in the first 20 years of my 30 or so, in Christ. It was as if our enemy had even infiltrated the culture of contemporary Christianity and convinced me and most others I knew, that there wasn’t any “more” available. This was merely a test of survival with some treasure at the end. Some kind of “Survivor” experience.
Something grand is intended for each of us and it is ours for the taking. It is a great treasure not merely to be realized later, but to claim and enjoy the riches of now! There is freedom to move aggressively toward intended glory with the Spirit’s constant guidance and direction. That certainly seems like a mantle that every person would choose over the fear and doubt they currently shoulder.
Why aren’t we?
I am going through some aggressive (15-20 hours a week) coach training. They are teaching us how to identify who is ready for change. There are three essential variables that need to be present for real change to occur:
- They must be in pain – sick and tired of the situation they are in
- They must be hungry – wanting more that they are currently realizing
- They must be coachable – be willing to take direction and apply it to their lives
This explains some of the frustration I have experienced in working with other leaders (and likely why some others have been frustrated with me!). My guess is that many of us are hungry for the “more” and are even in some form of pain, but are we coachable? Are we desperate enough to be willing for the Spirit and the wisdom and experience of others to invade our circumstance? And then not just hear them out, but act on their direction?
There is freedom and glory waiting on the other side.
Are you aware of how much pain you are in?
Are you hungry for the “more”?
Are you sick and hungry enough to be willing to relinquish your absolute control and invite the Spirit and others into your circumstance to be coached?
If you answered affirmatively to all the above, let’s talk. If you are mired in the first couple of questions, but have been unwilling to submit in the third, I might be able to help you shed some light on that situation.