One of the dark character qualities of sin that we don’t recognize as much as we should is unwillingness. We’re often unwilling to do what God says if it doesn’t make sense to us. We’re often unwilling to inconvenience ourselves for the needs of someone else. We’re regularly unwilling to wait. We’re often unwilling to be open and honest. We’re too often unwilling to consider the loving rebuke of another. We struggle to be willing to say no to our own wrong thoughts and desires.
We often struggle to be willing to answer God’s ministry call. Often we are unwilling to admit that we are wrong. Too often we struggle to serve willingly and to give generously. Unwillingness is one of sin’s powerful damaging results. So here’s what the Christmas story is all about: a willing Savior is born to rescue unwilling people from themselves because there is no other way.
You see, it’s not just the Christmas story; rather, the entire redemptive story hinges on one thing—the eternal willingness of Jesus.
– Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp
I had a difficult situation pop up last week where I had to confront someone. I was hurt and needed to clarify what had been communicated. The old me, the one who was raised with zero conflict resolution, wanted to be quiet.
I’ll just let the whole thing go, I thought to myself.
But I didn’t. I had the conversation that needed to be had. Everything worked out with the miscommunication clarified.
I realized though that I had been unwilling to engage God. Unwilling to allow Him to work through the situation. I think that we, as Christians, do this a lot:
- We don’t communicate with God, when we sin, because we are unwilling to face the consequences OR even acknowledge something bigger going on inside of us.
- We ignore God when we think that things will go differently/negatively so why pray?
Our unwilling nature deprives us in our faith walk. What God wants to use to strengthen our relationship with Him/our faith we instead put on the back burner of non-engagement. I know that we are called to more than this.
Let us be willing just as Christ was willing.
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