Work-in-Progress Wednesday {Rough Edges}

We all have our tendencies. We all have our habits.  We all have our struggles.
We all have our rough edges.

And here's a cool thing about God: He sands down our rough edges until they're smooth and pure and beautiful.

Does this mean that He nurtures our vices until they grow and fester and becoming worse and worse?
Uh, NO.

This means that He corrects us, gently as we are His children, but he shows us the Way. As we spend time with Him through prayer, worship, and study...He shows us what needs some work. Sometimes it can be a whole renovation project, but sometimes it can be just molding us a little bit in that yucky area.

"'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lost heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.'" Hebrews 12:5-6

I mean, He's the Great Potter, right? He can form us, if we allow Him to.

"Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the Potter; we are all the work of Your hand." Isaiah 64:8

We can be going along, doing good and growing in God...when all of a sudden that disgusting rough edge rears its head. For some this means snapping at somebody, or being impatient, or maybe being defensive.
And then we go through the rest of the day wondering what in the world is wrong with us--we feel guilty and beat down because we'd broken.

But we forget some key things:

1. Christ died for the broken! "'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Mark 2:17

2. We live in a broken world. "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..." 2 Timothy 3:1-4

3. We are not perfect! "'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?'" Matthew 7:3

Now, these aren't excuses to go on sinning and letting our rough edges become rougher. This is incentive. That list is reasons why we should yearn to get better and grow closer to God!

Christ died for our broken souls...and because of that...He makes us whole through Him.
We live in a broken world...but we aren't of this world.
We are not perfect...but Jesus is perfect and He will help you if you let Him.

We always have two choices in front of us, guys.
1. We can choose to follow Jesus--shedding ourselves of the sin that entangles.
or
2. We can choose to follow the world--allowing our sin to take control. 

"Therefore...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Don't know about you, but I'd much rather let the Author of Life be in control...
When we make mistakes and break, letting our rough edges scratch, we can choose to let it get worse and worse...or we can choose to turn it over to Jesus and let Him change our hearts yet again (this is a daily and sometimes more than one time a day thing).

And you'll be amazed at how much He can do when you relinquish control and let Him soften your hard, rough edges into gentleness, patience, love, joy, and so much more.

God Bless the rest of your week as you seek after Him!