Driving

I love doing things well.  However, many things do not come naturally.  I know that if I want to be “good”, I must put my arrogance, pride, and confidence to the side and seriously listen, absorb, and learn.  With time, practice, and discipline I find myself making progress towards my goal.  Rarely does everything happen overnight.  With time, one finds the self on a path towards doing things “naturally” well.
I wish I could say I relished this opportunity.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  I often intensely dislike the process.  I want to be good instantly.  For example, even after more than three decades of driving, I know I can be better than I am.  I could see the best line through a corner more naturally than I do.  I could drive in a way that is quicker, quieter, and smooth.  There is a way to get more out of the car than I am and still be gentle on the car.
Ironically, the idea does not end with driving.  Imagine what could happen if I let God go to work on my soul.  The process would not be easy, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.  The questions are the same ones that have faced many over the ages.  “But who will be able to stand up to that coming?  Who can survive his [God's] appearance?  He'll be like white-hot fire from the smelter's furnace.  He'll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry.  He'll take his place as a refiner of silver, as a cleanser of dirty clothes.  He'll scrub the Levite priests clean, refine them like gold and silver, until they're fit for God, fit to present offerings of righteousness.  Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God, as they used to be in the years long ago.”  (Malachi 3.2-4)
The challenge and opportunity is here.  The question is one of your response and mine.  Do we want to be better than we are?  If so, this is the answer.