Why Bother?

I was working on a hobby of mine when I ran short of supplies. Arriving at the store, I had to walk to the back to get what I needed. As I was walking, I passed by a display that caught my eye.  There sitting on the shelf was the exact same thing that I was struggling to make by hand! It was maddening!  Why do I bother? Here it is already made and it’s cheaper than the raw materials are costing me to make it! I picked it up for further inspection. Yep, it read “Made in Ch”…(well you can figure out where it was made). Wow, some factory somewhere is spitting these things out by the thousands and here I am sitting for hours patiently, tediously, making the same thing. Ugh!  

Leaving the store I was kind of irritated. First, they didn’t have the materials I needed.  Second, I questioned myself again – why do I even bother? Why do I put in all the time, effort, and money to make something I can grab off a shelf for just a few bucks?  Then it came to me a few minutes later…because I enjoy the process. I enjoy creatively, patiently, tediously, working on it (sometimes more than the finished product!). All the ins and outs of working the raw materials into a thing of beauty is so satisfying. That’s why I do it.

Do you ever wonder why, after we receive Christ into our life, that we still struggle with sin?  Why doesn’t He in an instant, just – BAM! You’re perfect! You’re just like Christ! You’re welcome!  No, He doesn’t do that. It’s a process. It tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are a “new creation” in Christ and “old things have passed away”.  That’s true. We’ve been reborn, passed from death to life by His transformative power. We are also told in Scripture that we are His “workmanship” ¹ (emphasis on work). So why does He bother? Is it possible, could it be, that it’s for the same reason I bother with my little project? Perhaps He likes the process, the relationship, as He patiently, lovingly, tediously, shapes and molds us into something beautiful.  Taking such “raw material” and making us into His image  must be laborious, to say the least. But you know what? He thinks we’re worth it. What a thought to ponder!

 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Philippians 1:6 NKJV

¹ Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

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Mike and Lorie Ramsey