How Badly Do You Want to Change?

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25

In AA, part of the program is to find a sponsor – someone who is farther along in recovery – to help guide the process. Several years ago, when I made my first attempt at recovery, I approached a grizzled veteran the program and asked him if he would be my sponsor. He said he would be my temporary sponsor and we would see if it worked out.

As it turned out, I was motivated to participate, which is what he was looking for. Many asked him to be their sponsor, but most of them just sort-of wanted recovery and never followed through. He knew what I know now: You cannot recover for someone else. If someone wants recovery, they are going to have to work for it. At some point, the seeker must do some seeking. My sponsor just didn’t have a lot of time for those who gave no effort. Once he saw that I was willing to work at it, he gave freely of his time and energy.

God is not our big sponsor in the sky, but I do think that he assumes a similar posture towards us. God has gone to great lengths to restore us to him, but now, he desires a response. Throughout the Bible, this concept is repeated: God longs for us to seek him and when we seek him, we find him. Many of us sort-of want God, but at some point, if we truly want him, we must do some serious seeking.

Though God is not paralyzed by our inactivity, and though he can work his will regardless of our response, the Bible teaches repeatedly that he longs for us to desperately seek him and often waits until we do so, to respond. If we want God, and if we desire true life instead of misery, then at some point, we must desperately seek him. We must do what it takes to abandon those things that keep us from him and we must read his word, pray, and obey. If we truly desire transformation, at some point, we must do some serious seeking.