Have you ever been called upon to do several different things at once? As a Special Education teacher, I was frequently confronted with a roomful of up to 16 students, all needing assistance with a different task, and only one other person to help. Just try slogging through the tortures of “Hamlet” with one, while unfolding the mysteries of the Pythagorean Theorem with another, meanwhile peeling a third one off the ceiling to complete an overdue essay. Multitasking can be challenging!
I think that’s where the Holy Spirit’s wisdom comes in as we grow to be more like Jesus. He is so practical. He doesn’t shove us into multitasking. He works with us one step at a time. The prince of darkness tends to throw our every sin in our face at once. You’ve heard his voice. “You’ll never amount to anything”. “Look what you just said to your mom”. “Really cool the way you yelled at that guy in traffic. “And you call yourself a Christian?”
No wonder they call him the accuser of the brethren.
But we have Jesus, our advocate and intercessor, who prays for us day and night. And we have the Holy Spirit. He deals with us one thing at a time, gently, firmly, persistently. If He showed us all our failures at once, we would surely collapse under their weight and throw up our hands in despair. But no, one thing at a time; specific, personal, powerfully changing us into the image of our Lord.
Someday when we see Him in His glory, the Psalmist tells us, the change will be complete. (Psalm 17:15). Meanwhile, we are in good hands!