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Highlights magazine had it all.  Stories, hidden pictures, and puzzles provided ample distraction in the various waiting rooms of childhood.  There was, however, an annoying lecture included in every issue. The scolding was thinly veiled as a comic strip of sorts called Goofas and Gallant. I think the author was the church lady. Young readers were directed to face a variety of challenging scenarios in which we were admonished to choose to be good, kind, and mild mannered.

Another waiting room staple; and yes I did consider Sunday school a waiting room, was the Bible Story Book.  I loved the stories of adventure and intrigue, but my teacher would usually punctuate them with the same unpalatable G&G morality.  “Do Be like Able, Don’t Be like Cain”, right, I thought, that worked out well.  As far as I was concerned Able was as much of a pansy show off as Gallant.

It was this type of thinking that led me to my just-knock-it-off-and do-the-right-thing approach to the Christian life.  The attitude I brought to the text had me reading such phrases as “put off your old self” (Eph 4:22) as a transaction accomplished by strength of will. 

In context, of course, it is clear that this is not something I can do independently.  The whole first half of the book describes that blessing of grace to cover our sin, leadership to equip and provide direction, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to effect the needed change.  Only then are we urged to “walk worthy”, to live in honest confession and repentance.  As John says (1 John 1:7) we are cleaned as we walk in the light.  We don’t clean up first.  Paul describes our old and new selves as cohabitating.  The old nature continues to deteriorate in self-worship, while the new self seeks to glorify God (Eph 4:22-23).

It seems that these internal roommates wrangle for control, and my frustrated selfish nature gets angry.  Perhaps strong-willed Paul felt the same because the next thought is that once we are free to choose he says to speak truthfully and express our anger with care.  He tells us that the Spirit empowers us to give up the self-absorbed acts of lying, stealing, and venting our destructive anger.  He did not admonish us to wimp out like Gallant, or become a bully like Goofas.  Instead he tells us that we are free to imitate God (5:1), in His strength, as all children emulate a loving parent.

I can’t choose to be good, because I’m not good.  I can practice good, but my mixed motives will show through.  Because of grace I get to exercise my only power, to choose whom I will serve.  In the moment when a natural reaction would be to lie, steal, or rage; there is freedom.  I have the freedom to stop, to confess my powerlessness; “Lord, I feel used, entitled, and justified in striking back, but your Spirit reminds me of your mercy toward me. I submit to you.  Please give me the strength and perspective to face this with you, and seek glory for only you.”  Only God is good, and that’s the way it will be until we exit the waiting room.