A few years ago on a plane flying out of western Canada, I found myself in conversation with a woman sitting next to me who knew first hand about having to make hard and costly choices in life. For several years, alcohol addiction had been the demon slowly destroying her life. Then, one day the miracle occurred, as she put it, she hit 'rock bottom' and the darkness completely enveloped her.

Two friends came to her rescue and with their supportive help and a growing awareness of God's healing love and forgiveness, she made a deliberate choice to leave her old way of life behind which was leading to total destruction. Through God's healing guidance and protection, she found a new and productive way of living. Today, this woman oversees a counselling service offering compassionate love and care to many people whose behaviour has become dysfunctional, encouraging them to choose a new and more fulfilling way of life.

Perhaps you too can remember days when the idols and demons of this world attempted to gain supremacy in your life, and you wished that you had not spoken or acted in a way not becoming to a disciple of Jesus? Well, take hope, you are not alone. Even St. Paul wrote after his initial conversion - "I have not yet reached perfection, but I press on, hoping to take hold of that for which Christ once took hold of me … I press on." (Phil. 3:12-13)

A maturing Christian recognizes up front what is standing between them and the call of Jesus. Problematic issues have to be dealt with, choices have to be made and decisions undertaken in a prayerful manner. Not making choices and dealing with problems is more costly in the end in terms of one's emotional, physical and spiritual health. Like the woman I met on the plane …

Choices have to be made and sinful patterns of behaviour cut out by a loving and forgiving heavenly Father. In church talk, we call this cutting out process the work of repentance and experiencing God's loving and healing forgiveness.

Repentance is part of our ongoing conversion experience. It calls for an honest and open submission of our actions and behaviour, which we know, down deep, are not pleasing to God. It's so easy to side step the issue of repentance and employ any one of the psychological defense mechanisms at our disposal to justify that we really are okay. From a Christian growth perspective, such avoidance is really a sign of spiritual immaturity.

The new beginning for all of us, when we have slipped, comes about as we humble ourselves before the Lord - and dare to utter that simple prayer of repentance which came from the lips of the remorseful tax collector, one day in the temple, "God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am" (Luke 18:13). It is Luke who goes on to remind us that it was the repentant tax collector and not the proud, self-assured Pharisee who went home that day, healed, forgiven and restored.

Yes, conversion is ongoing, but so is our Lord's wonderful offer of healing love, forgiveness and restoration. That woman on the plane could testify to God's healing intervention in her life. May that also be your experience and mine.

- Blessings, Bishop Malcolm Harding.

Bishop Malcolm is the ambassador of ARM Canada and was formerly the Episcopal bishop of the diocese of Brandon.

The Rt. Rev. Malcolm Harding
Episcopal Visitor to ARM