It's not my habit to just "cut and paste" other peoples blog post in my blog...but this one was just too good not to. I think not only can we all relate to what Michael Mckinley (from the 9marks blog) shares...but we can walk away with hope and a smile! This was posted last week on 9marks...and here it is again now, for your viewing pleasure and spiritual encouragement! :)
Yo-Yo Sanctification
by Michael Mckinley
In the excellent Changing Hearts, Changing Lives video series from CCEF (which, BTW, makes an excellent Sunday School or small group curriculum), David Powlison uses a very helpful illustrations about sanctification. He says (and here I am not quoting the words exactly):
The pattern of our life and growth is like a yo-yo. Up and down, up and down.
Pretty depressing, huh? But he continues:
The pattern of our life and growth is like a yo-yo... in the hands of a man walking up a flight of stairs.
I tell you, that one insight has been very helpful to me both in my own life and also in my counseling of others. So often we are so acutely aware of the yo-yo feeling, the ups and downs of our growth and holiness, that we miss the larger picture of growth and maturity that God is graciously working in us.
So a man might still struggle with bursts of anger (up and down, up and down), but if he finds that as he grows in Christ those he is more loving, that the outbursts of anger are more rare, less violent, shorter in duration, and that he is quicker to repent and seek reconciliation... there is real upward progress.
This is one of the reasons that we need other Christians in our lives. We need people who can draw our attention to the larger upward pattern of God's work when we can only see the yo-yo.
Categories: Discipleship & Growth
Posted on April 28, 2009 | Link to this Post | Comments (0)
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