Have you ever had a splinter in your finger? Maybe you deal with it differently, but I usually go looking for a needle. In order to get the splinter out, I have to dig into my finger to pry it out. There is more pain for a moment, but it is neccessary to be whole again. Growing in God is a lot like that. We come to Jesus because we have a splinter in our soul. He deals with the splinter and then starts working on the next finger and the next until we are perfect.

My favorite Christian author is CS Lewis. I have learned more from him than any other. His firm grasp on theology, philosophy, and down-to-Earth common sense never ceases to blow me away.

In his book, Mere Christianity, he talks about Jesus warning to "Count the Cost" before becoming His follower. We don't really talk about this anymore. We tend to reach out and tell everyone to come to Jesus just as you are. I'm not saying we should do any less. All should come to Christ. However, it would also be fair to warn people to count the cost. The fair warning is that you may come to Christ just as you are, but Jesus has no intention to let you stay that way. He will never cease to work on any broken place until you are completely healed and whole. I've been working to find a link that works to a YouTube video that illustrates this chapter. Hopefully it will work below. Also, below are a few of my favorite quotes from the chapter in Mere Christianity entitled, "Counting the Cost."

Jesus warned people to COUNT the COST before becoming Christian. Because, once you turn your heart toward Him, He will never stop until you are completely whole.

Jesus said, "Be perfect." This does not mean, "Unless you are perfect I cannot help you." This means, "The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less, but I will give nothing less."

Jesus is not interested in helping you feel better. He is  interested in helping your become healed and whole. This might mean making things worse for a little while in order to make you better in the long run.

God is easy to please but hard to satisfy.  

God's desire for us to be perfect need not discourage us. He is not disappointed by our inability to attain it on our own. He is interested in partnering with us for the long journey.

The goal is perfection. Nothing can or will stop Him from taking you there.

None of us have the slightest idea of what He intends to make of us. It is beautiful and completely different than where we began.  

So, perhaps we should put a warning label on all our Connect Cards. lol Perhaps they should read, "Warning! Once you commit your life to Christ, the journey toward healing begins."