What Is Wrong? - Part 3

We have been examining the frustrating times of life when a believer feels that his spiritual walk is not going well. At times things just do not seem right, but the believer may not be able to pinpoint the reason. We first noted things that are basically under the Christian's control - a willful hanging on to sin rather than confessing, a resistance to God rather than humility, and a failure to spend time with God. We then noted the possibility of ignorance. A believer's growth can be retarded by things that he does not know - things he is involved in that he does not yet realize are damaging, as well as salutary truths from Scripture that he has not yet learned.

Another possible reason for a confusing spiritual desert is simply that of immaturity. Not surprisingly, once a believer does learn valuable lessons, those new lessons are not mastered immediately. They require practice. When we evaluate our passion for God, our success in resisting temptation, or our perceived maturity, we often make invalid comparisons. We tend to measure our spiritual success or maturity by looking at aspects of our current lives and comparing them to aspects of our lives at some point in the past. Our evaluation may be that we are not as "x" as we used to be, that there was a time that we handled "y" better, or we may wonder why we don't do "z" like we used to. I would like to consider several fallacies that could arise during this type of comparison. 

One error is that we do not always have good memories, especially when we are discouraged. If we already have the mindset that we are failing as Christians, it isn't hard to find "evidence" to back that up. Suddenly we notice all the negative factors in our current situation, and we tend to forget or minimize the negatives of the past. In our guilt and self-judgment, we compare our worst response from today with our best response from five years ago, yielding an invalid comparison. (See Philippians 3:13-14.)

A second error is that we can have unreasonable expectations. Maybe five years ago, we resisted something bad or did something good fifty percent of the time. Now that it is five years later, we expect to be at one hundred percent. "After all," we think, "anyone who has been saved as long as I am should never struggle with this." Growth in every area of life is gradual. Maybe we are still only at seventy percent, but heading in the right direction. That's not failure; that's growth. In terms of expectations, we must also realize that we know more now about being a Christian than we did five years ago; our increased knowledge produces increased expectations. If we seem to mess up more times per day now than we used to, it might be because we are aware of many more issues than we used to be aware of. (See Ephesians 4:12-13 and II Peter 1:5-8.)

A third error is our skewed evaluation of intensity. We sometimes fail to realize that not all challenges are created equal. Some temptations can be met and combated quickly, while others, by their very nature, may take a length of time to work through. Losing a spouse is certainly different and will take longer to process than breaking a bone or having an argument with a friend. If the Christian life were compared to sewing projects, some challenges are as simple as hemming a handkerchief, while others are as intricate as assembling a detailed quilt. We may be discouraged that we still struggle, but the issues we are struggling now with may be far more significant than what we used to struggle with. (Compare Job's responses in chapter 1 with those of later chapters - 3, 7, 10.)

A fourth error is our narrow vision. For example, we may be currently discouraged that we still don't trust God like we ought to. While our evaluation may be true, life does not usually allow us to compare apples with apples. The situation in which we had to trust God before is not the same as the situation in which we have to trust Him now. So many things in life change; our Christian experience exists within a constantly morphing context. Factors may include a different job, a different economic position, poor health, loss of a loved one, a geographic change, increased responsibilities, a new pastor, a new neighbor, the pressure of aging, an unexpected area of temptation, and hundreds of other variables.

Our response of trusting God (or not) is not specific to a single variable; rather, it is a response within the comprehensive scope of all variables. The current cumulative setting may be much harder than previous settings, or it may simply be different. It may be exercising a different set of spiritual muscles - or the same set of muscles but in a different way. These varying combinations require constant growth and adjustment. The process of adjusting and growing can feel uncomfortable, therefore leaving us with the perception of failure.

I think of the example of a teacher - a good teacher - who is thrust into a new set of circumstances. He has to teach a new subject, a new grade level, or in a different language. He may need to teach without electricity, without textbooks, or without a chalkboard. Even a good teacher will struggle to some extent with the changes. A good teacher will still be a good teacher, but in some ways he will find himself feeling like a new teacher who has to relearn the best way to teach.

The Christian life is like that. We can mature and gain levels of victory and have areas that seem to be completely mastered. Then God changes some factor, or usually a combination of factors. In the constantly changing kaleidoscope of life, we are continually faced with new learning curves. We have to take what we know and apply it in new ways. This type of application is what demonstrates true mastery. The stumbling and adjustments as we seek to master the changing challenges indicate movement. They demonstrate that we are walking forward, that we are progressing, rather than settling into the comfortable safety of stagnation. "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.' " (Luke 9:23)

Our immaturity means that we do not reach our expectations overnight, and it also means that we do not always accurately see what God is doing in us. One thing is sure: if God is doing a work in our lives, which He says He is, there will be change. We may not see the growth, but God is able to do a transforming work in us.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:18 (NASB)