Transformation

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs)

 

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2)

 

I remember reading Corrie Ten Boom's experiences in the concentration camp many years ago.  When she was released and began to speak about her story some years later, she looked up one day and saw one of her prison guards in the audience.  After the talk, she saw him heading toward her-- she knew it was to ask her forgiveness.  At that moment, Corrie had to make a decision: forgive or not?  This is the guard who had beaten her sister to death, and the memories were still fresh in Corrie's mind.  She chose to forgive when the guard asked, for the sake of Jesus Christ.

 

When I read that, I wondered how it would be possible to get from where I was at that time to where Corrie was, for a recognized a great abyss between the two of us.  I was quite sure that inside me was not the capacity for that kind of mercy.  "How do you get there?" I wondered. 

 

Indeed, when we read the words of Jesus, we have to wonder how any of us get from where we are now to where He insists His followers must go.  If we look at the contents of our minds and hearts on a daily basis, we have some clue.  Most of us will "rehearse" injuries -- real or imagined-- done to us by others.  We go over and over the scene, the insult, the injury; we justify our own responses and tell ourselves that we are right, after all -- the other person was sooooo in the wrong.  I have even heard people criticize not injuries, but just innocent responses made by another person.  We don't like the tone of voice; we don't like the nervous laugh; we don't appreciate a lack of thoughtfulness.... etc. etc.

 

All of this is our natural defense against injury from others -- but Jesus asks that we leave behind our 'natural' response and take us His own divine response to injury -- forgiveness, love, welcome to those who have hurt us.  And we ask, "HOW, Lord?" 

 

Scripture has an answer for us:  Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Everything begins in the mind and heart, and that is where transformation into Christ must begin also.  We cannot expect forgiveness to flow naturally out of our sinful hearts and minds.  But the Holy Spirit will renew our minds and give us the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:14 ff.) if we will only allow Him to do so.  He will lead us to the Scriptures that will renew our minds and hearts, and He will apply those Scriptures to our hearts until we are transformed from the image of our earthly fathers to the image of our heavenly Father.

 

Transformation in Christ is a gradual and life-long process, "from glory to glory."  And that is the only Christian life-- the life of ongoing transformation to love.  The entire law is summed up in 2 commandments:  Love...  God with your whole heart...mind... and strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself.  Neither of these commandments is possible for us until we "put on Christ Jesus" and allow Him through the action of the Holy Spirit to transform us into His Image.