made perfect and being made holy

There are seasons of life when God sends us a big message through a pattern of various connecting lessons. Or at least it seems like that to me. Sometimes the lessons crash in like waves; other times they’re ripples that quietly and gently stir your soul.

Lately God is quietly re-introducing me to a few basic but key concepts. 1) I am not perfect, and I fall short every day. I have days/weeks/months where I feel distant from God and not like the woman I think I should be. 2) Self-pity over this fact (or any) is exhausting, and honestly? It’s ineffective, too. 3) Fortunately, God has already made me perfect, and is also in the process of perfecting me.

I recently found myself drifting from God. Not in a dramatic way, something that people might notice from the outside looking in. But rather, I felt like I had forgotten one of the main calls of Jesus: to deny myself every day.

And so instead of feeling radiant and confident, I felt sluggish and guilty. Instead of feeling like a new creation, I felt even more enslaved to my sin: people-pleasing, selfish, lazy, insecure, overthinking, and fearful. I found myself discontent, escaping things like TV and shopping, and connecting to God and people less and less. And I felt hopeless, because I can typically feel like if I don’t fix myself, I can’t even try to face God.

Luckily, it doesn’t end there.

And then God gently reminds me: For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14, NIV.) It’s hard to believe God already sees me as perfect – holy, sanctified, flawless. What does make sense is that I’m still imperfect in life – and yet he’s still patiently working on me. So either way you look at it, it’s a winning situation.

It’s encouraging because God doesn’t throw up his hands and give up on us as we mess up continually. Side note – yesterday was the first day of potty-training in our household, and I can tell you that within the first hour, I wanted to quit. As much as I love my kiddo, letting him go to grade school in diapers was not sounding like such a bad option. I’m grateful my parents didn’t give up on me, and that God doesn’t either.

This lesson has come up in conversations, lessons, in the everyday, and largely, in seeing my own personal growth and change. It’s things that are inexplicable to me. For example, I can’t tell you how God has helped me, a natural introvert and constantly insecure, to start conversations and make new friends lately. A week ago, I spent nearly 24 hours straight of being in social situations (minus sleeping), which historically is hard for me. It was exhausting, but satisfying, and part of God working on my heart.

That passage in Hebrews goes on to tell us what we can expect as God works on us/has worked already:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23, NIV.)

This passage is full of such hope for us. We have confidence to approach God because he has made us perfect, so we can come before him without fear. And we don’t have to live with the guilty conscience that comes from falling short every day. God is faithful, and doesn’t give up on us.

Is there a sin that keeps coming up in your life that you feel like you can’t beat? Wherever you are today, I hope this promise comforts you like it does me: that God sees you as perfect, and isn’t giving up on you.

Scriptures are quoted from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.