It's A Good Prayer, But Be Careful When You Say It

"Dear God, please take anything out of me that isn't just like You."

It's a good prayer, but be careful when you say it. I have prayed this prayer twice in the last sixty days, in moments when I felt my bad self getting the better of my good self. I don't doubt my prayer was answered, but something that felt catastrophic always followed that prayer.

Earlier today, I prayed. I said "Dear God, please take anything out of me that isn't just like You." I went merrily on my way: shopping, running errands, eating lunch, just enjoying a nice day away from work and the normal routines. Lo, and behold: I got home, opened my mail, and found a letter that rocked my world---just temporarily--but rocked it nonetheless.

What is my point? The process of being transformed is serious business. It digs deeply into the core of who we think we are and who we truly are. (You don't think those two are the same, do you?) Nothing is off limits when God works to re-make us more fully in His image. We don't get to make the rules about how it is all done and how it all turns out. We do, however, get to smile and relax a bit when it's all over. He does all things well.