God hasn’t finished yet
I was really struck by a thought from Martin Hodson on yesterdays Scripture Union Wordlive:
“I am not what I was – but I am not what I will be”
‘I am not what I was’ can be words of despair or regret – or words of hope.
In one sense I am sad that I am not what I was once. I used to be able to work, preach, pastor and do all manner of things that I enjoyed. Through ill health I am now not able to easily do many of those things. I am not what I once was.
I am not what I once was. For a lot of that I can be glad. Mistakes I have made are in the past. I have grown, matured and learnt a lot of lessons in life. I am no longer that teenager that thought I had an answer for everything. I am not what I once was. God is stretching and teaching me, and bringing me on, whether it always feels like that or not.
But I am also not what I will be. There is much left to teach me. I have not learnt all I need to learn. There is hope that things can change and move on. One day God will change my weak body.
I am on a journey. I am different to what I was – and God isn’t finished with me yet!
That seems to tie in with the end of this week’s lectionary epistle.
He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
We are a work in progress. God hasn’t finished with us yet if we allow him to continue to shape us and lead us. Fortunately he is the one doing the changing. That we, anyone of us, is not yet what we will be is the hope for the world.
God has been our hope in ages past – he is our hope for years to come. He will be our eternal home. We are not what we were – but neither has God finished with any of us yet.
Pam's Perambulation 