It's all ready and waiting for us

The potential for the holy life must be released by faith. It is not something that is entered into automatically by becoming a Christian. So Paul entreats his Colossian converts, “Let loose all the wonderful potential that was given you when you accepted Christ. Do so in an act of self-renunciation (death) and in an act of acceptance and faith (put on), so that the holiness which Christ came to give you may be yours.” There is nothing here of striving and struggling and constantly falling short of something which is outside of ourselves. Rather, we are invited to unlock a door in the new house that has been given us and to find there all the furnishings already in place.— Called to be Holy, pages 161-162

<idle musing>
I like the picture he paints here of a new house, just waiting for us. We only need to open the door. No striving, struggling, etc. Too easy, isn't it? That's probably the issue; we prefer to earn it, don't we?
</idle musing>