I once thought that at your wedding, everything was completed in that moment when you said I do, or when you got the degree, you were done learning, and that the Civil Rights Act ended racism. As Baptists, we were taught that when you walked the aisle to profess Christ as your Savior, you were saved from that moment and no further action was needed.
Looking back on these thoughts from my youth, I realize again that life isn’t a couple of defining events that forever decide our fate, but life is, as John and Paul said, “a long and winding road.” The road leads to some defining events, and then leads you right on to a thousand nuances of that event. We are redeemed and we are being redeemed.
No, conversion is not a one-time defining event, and that is all we ever have to do. Conversion is a process; revelation happens as we walk down the Jesus road. And really, it isn’t that we have to do more; it is that we want to. We listen to the Holy Spirit, we read God’s word, and are compelled to take steps to become more like Jesus. And then we take a few more steps. It is a long journey of being and becoming a Christ follower. And the road isn’t straight like a highway. It meanders like a river. We’re each a diamond in the rough, slowly getting polished and made more beautiful, able to reflect more light to others.
Let’s take this long and winding road idea one step further. We are still bringing the idea of equality and justice to slow reality. And we each have a role to play in moving true equality forward. It’s millions of nuances to those defining Civil Rights events – little and big acts of justice, such as standing up to the bully, rebuking the rogue preacher, calling out the boss, and voting for the candidate who represents her whole district, not just the slim majority. It is daily decisions and actions and steps down the road that bring lasting change to our nation, and to the world.
But it is the right road – even if it is narrow, or less traveled, or long and winding. And that’s good enough for me.
—————–
David Burroughs
David Burroughs is the president & founder of of Passport, Inc.