The Mystery of Transformation

And do not follow the customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God’s will is–that will which is good and beautiful and perfect. Roman 12: 2

When our son was a boy he had a whole collection of toys known as Transformers. These plastic domathingies represent a host of alien robots in constant search of power and/or peace, depending upon whether they were good or bad. With a quick flick of the wrist, Transformers morph from mere men of plastic to powerful robots in revolt.

The Revolutionary told me about his friend, the addict, dying. Too many drugs. Too much alcohol. Death was the addict’s means of lasting transformation.

The Revolutionary doesn’t come right out and say that he fears the same for his own life. Instead he says he was clean for years, years, mind you, until that moment this past year when he reverted back to his old pattern.

Rationalizing away the dangers inherent for the pleasures present.

Transformation is tedious work.

It’s a heck of a lot easier to just embrace despair.

Hopelessness requires no amount of convincing, exacts no lasting conviction.

Giving up isn’t hard to do.

You can dress a cow in a hat and high heels and send her to church but underneath all that she’s still just a cow.

Transformation of any sort depends upon a supernatural strength, a power far beyond the control of the one being transformed.

It also requires a certain acquiescence to the will of the one doing the transforming. In other words, a willingness to admit that we can’t become what we were designed to be, what we long to be, without some help from someone much more capable than us.

And in this age of carefully designed fake reality, there isn’t much credence given to the mystery of transformation.

Renew your mind, Scriptures tell us, so that you too, can be transformed to that which is good and beautiful and perfect.

Transformation first requires that we think differently.

But how do we do that before we are truly transformed?