It can be both a joy and a trial to witness another person’s Christian life. It can be a joy when you learn that they long for holiness and that they long to strive toward what is theirs in Christ. It can be a trial when you learn that they appear to have little longing for holiness and are content to merely shuffle instead of strive toward what is theirs in Christ.
I realized only recently that one of my most common conversations with members of my church is the one about helping their loved ones grow in grace. Some have a spouse who professes faith but whose walk seems to be marked by apathy. Others have a child who has made what appears to be a legitimate profession, but who seems to be growing at a snail’s pace instead of a cheetah’s. Others are attempting to disciple a new believer and struggling with how little progress that person is making. In these cases and so many more, they can grow discouraged.
What most Christians learn is that sometimes we want another person’s holiness more than they do. Sometimes our longing for
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