It's a Process

Romans 8:29, "For those who He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be firstborn among many brethren;"

This past weekend I ran my german shorthaired pointer in his first field trial. We have done Hunt Test to this point, a lessor, tamer, version of a field trial. But this was the real deal. Full on competition for first place amongst a decent size field of top level dogs.

Remi ran perfect in the field trial portion, and the judges expressed a lot on interest in him. Having done all he was supposed to do he was selected for the call back. A call back is for the top 4 dogs to come back and demonstrate thier retrieving ability. All Remi had to do was point, wait for me to flush, wait for the gunners to shoot, wait for me to command the retrieve, and retrieve the bird. But he could not wait. As soon as the bird hit the ground he took off for the retrieve. "Pick up your dog," said the judge as he disqualified my dog.

Just two weeks before he was DQ'd in the field for a hunt test, so we had made progress, but it sure did not seem like it.

I've told this long tale (pun intended) because for some strange reason we do the very same thing with the people around us. We expect perfection the first time. And yet life is a process. Christianity is a process. We are to "become comformed." We are not reborn into the image of Christ, just like Remi is not born as a field champion, even though his bloodlines are that of a champion. Practice, practice, practice which invariably means failure, failure, failure before it all comes together and the bloodline shows true to its form.

And so we can find reason to forgive our own failures, to accept the free gift of forgiveness in Christ, and press on to the high calling because we realize it is a process for us. But we need to also freely give that forgivness. We need to see that Christianity is not only a process for us, but it is a process for those around us. A process on God's time table, and a process that has no limits in failures. It is not the failure that makes us like Christ. It is the failures that make us realize that though we are now of His same bloodlines, there is a long way to go before we are an accurate reflection of Him. So cut some slack to those around you. They are in the process too. When the failures and imperfections come just chalk it up to practice and the process of becoming a reflection and an image of Christ.