It’s important to remember that almost everything we receive along the Christian road—including freedom—comes by degree.
We don’t get freedom, we grow into it—like infant limbs become sprinting legs or lava layers become ocean islands.
Freedom is not something deposited; it develops. Christian writers throughout the ages have told us of men and women who experienced sudden transformations, but these are often glimpses or tastes of more permanent transformations to come. Like marathon runners are handed little paper cups of water: these experiences are given to refresh us, not to change us instantly; to spur us on, not to bypass formation; to keep us in step with the Spirit, not to do all the work for us.
Room to Reflect
What makes it hard for me to embrace slow formation?
When have I received a “little paper cup of water” — an experience that refreshed me without instantly changing me?
Where do I feel frustrated by the pace of my freedom? What might the Spirit be forming in me through this slow process?