Honesty consists of the unwillingness to lie to others; maturity, which is equally hard to attain, consists of the unwillingness to lie to oneself.
~Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986)
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
~paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Ephesians 4
Oh beloved, it is true.
We are a strange species. We, the twice born; the Zoe – who will live forever – are both children and adults. And, the process is even stranger than it appears. It takes an infinite amount of time for us to arrive in both places.
Thankfully, infinite is not forever. However, infinite does mean that it takes longer than all the ages of the earth. Infinite means that time itself cannot bound the amount of work it takes for a truly human being (not just homo sapiens) to become what we were Designed to become.
And more thankfully still, is that infinite is smaller than the smallest fraction of time itself. Infinite is all in all, in a moment. And so, ever more strangely, it is that we become both completely mature in our moment of rebirth in Him, and it also takes forever for us to arrive (eternity does not strictly obey the dimension, Time, though it is no stranger to its effect).
Whoever prematurely begins a work that is above his strength receives nothing, but only brings harm upon himself.
~St. Isaac the Syrian, Homilies, 11
But what is the point of this seeming metaphysical rambling?
It is not as mystical as it seems. Rather, it is that when we are born again, we become completely like Christ. And, at the same time, we are nothing like Him. So thus, begins the process of what is often called sanctification.
Sanctification is the process that G_d uses, in time, for us to come to realize just who we have already become in Him. And, it is dreadful. Our old man cries and screams at the inconvenience of being laid aside. He makes play after play to try and stay in play. And often, he wins a round (or many).
Can we see it though?
Slowly, and thankfully, the dreadful years of self run their course. The old man within us cannot stand against the truth. Truth always wins. Lies are always corrected. History is the telling of truth in the long run. And we, the Zoe – who will live forever – are watching our stories unfold.
We are becoming like Him. Often, about the 50th year of a believer’s walk, much of the shadows of our past form are overtaken by a jubilee of Light and Hope and Life and Truth and Honor and Strength. We are becoming the υἱός (Greek: huios, Sons and daughters who have taken on the true resemblance of their Father). It is joyful indeed.
So, hopefully, the point of this entry is clear. The truth is that we are made just like Christ at the moment of our rebirth in Him. But, the flesh wants to get in the way of this process and can delay it seriously if we allow it. However, we do have a choice, we can choose to submit to the Truth. He is able to accelerate the year of our jubilee – IF we allow it.
Oh, He will do it. But, He will not force us to go faster that we are willing to go. Love does not demand its own way. But, Love also beckons to become what we truly are. There is just one question we have to answer. How quickly are we willing to take an infinite journey?
Tonight is your night beloved. Time to allow yourself to become exactly who you already are in Him.
