Transformed

At different times of the year I feel like I need a transformation: the new improved me, or the younger fitter me. I typically end up with the same old me in a new outfit. Transformation for the low, low price of $80! If only it was that easy to be renewed or transformed.

I crave, even long for, being a person who looks more like my heavenly father and less like my earthly self. So often the desire for godliness doesn’t translate to the actions that, when taken on my part, would lead me closer to him and the transformation I desire. My teenage son recently said it like this: “Sometimes I feel really close to God, and others I don’t feel close to Him at all.” My husband reminded him that in order to feel really close to someone, to feel kinship and connectedness, you have to spend time hanging out with them.

I long for time with good friends-the ones with whom conversation is not an effort, the ones who care about the silly and important details in my life. These are the friends who really know me and love me anyway. I will arrange my schedule to go away with them, and juggle a thousand details to go to coffee. This connectedness comes from history and trust and time spent together.  In fact, if you saw us together you would probably be able to tell we were friends. People who spend a lot of time together often start to resemble each other in mannerisms, the way they look, and the way they communicate.  

The same is true in my relationship with God. If I don’t feel connected, if I don’t see His transforming work in my life, it’s highly possible that I am not spending time hanging out with Him. If I don’t feel close, it is I who am moving away. If I am not becoming someone who more closely resembles Him, it could be that I am making time for the wrong things.

Transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit in my life, but it does require some participation on my part. Bible study, meditation, and prayer all lead to intimacy and connectedness to the Father.  Even time spent with him while walking the dog, or that quiet moment when I stop to remember all his goodness toward me, are meaningful ways to connect. Connectedness leads to transformation. You can’t help but be more like those you spend a lot of time with. 

Romans 12:2 "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."