"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2
When I think of transformation, I immediately think of the caterpillars transformation. The caterpillar with it's veracious appetite and unattractive features can become something beautiful and graceful. It just defies the imagination.
Yet that is exactly what God does for us. He took us from lowly, dirty, stinking sinners and transformed us into something beautiful through his grace and love. Romans 8:5 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He took something ugly and made it beautiful.
It is so easy to get caught up and tangled up in the pattern of this world. It is filled with half-truths and lies. It is full of selfishness and desires. It uses, abuses, and discards of people once they are of no use. Yes, it is easy to get messed up in the affairs of this world. But God has called us to transform our minds from “stinkin’ thinkin'” to his good and perfect thoughts and will for our lives. My dad used to encourage my sister and I to always "think on things that were good" and to believe that our Heavenly would always work it out on our behalf.
I know that it can be a challenge to transform your mind and to get rid of the “old stinkin’ thinkin'” and retrain your mind. But I know personally, that the time you spend alone with God will transform your character. You noticed I didn't say change, because change can be temporary, while transformation is permanent. Change is easy, transformation is painful and hard. It took being in a cocoon of pain and suffering to permanently change me. I grew wings through my suffering and my whole mindset changed. I began to see life differently and no longer had to adapt to my environment because I could rise above it.
When God saves us, it’s not a temporary change. It’s a transformation. It requires painful separation from who we once were to who we’re becoming. It means we have to make the hard choices to leave behind the life we lived before so we can embrace the new, improved and better life He has for us. Instead of changing back and forth from environment to environment, God desires to continuously transform us more into His image and presence each day.
The transformation is a journey that will continue throughout life. I’m done with change and living for transformation.Are you tired of trying to change all the time in order to meet the expectations others have of you? Do you wish you could just be the person God made you to be? Romans 12:1 calls us to be transformed into a new person by changing the way we think. He wants to renew our minds and transform us, not just change us. He wants to create something new in your life and being in His presence our Father can transform you more into who He created you to be. Commit today to the transformation journey and say I’m done with change and living for transformation.