“Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth” (Luke 3:5)
Paving a highway of holiness for any life is a difficult job; but the Lord is up for it. Even after we have come to Jesus, and found rest in His care, there is much work for Him to do. There are high places needing to be made low; crooked places needing to be made straight; and rough places needing to be made smooth.
We are very good at seeing the defects remaining in our brethren around us; but our greater focus needs to be on our own lives. Proverbs 20:27 tells us: “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Our spirit causes us to want to know; it is the candle that searches not only what is outside of us, but more importantly, what is going on inside of us. It is insufficient of itself to know what we ought to know. We need God’s Spirit of truth to direct our spirit into all truth. He alone can show us what needs correction in our life.
While the Holy Spirit is working on the needed changes in our life, He calls us to have the greatest mercy on those around us. It is not that we should never see something amiss in another; the issue is whether we are meek, merciful, patient and long-suffering towards them. Such an attitude surely recognizes that we ourselves need the same from our God.
All true change comes from God. Change comes slowly to the best of us. Be patient. Be merciful. Be grateful for a God who promises to complete the work He has begun in your life.