Transformation: A painful process that we all need to embrace and undertake
We are in times where we all need to develop the spirit of determination as we seek and search for the transformative power that is found in all situations of life. The fullness of transformation sometimes is never clear and visible when one is going through challenges but when we locate ourselves in the hope God has given us, then we find ourselves empowered to handle even the most difficult of all challenges.
The grit in our mind requires endurance and encouragement as we navigate and negotiate the challenges and opportunities that Covid 19 is presenting as well as residual effects that permeate our lives at personal, family, community, national and global level.
We need to purpose with all that is within us to clothe ourselves with determination as an attribute that builds and strengthens inner peace and confidence in the search for our identity. We need a perspective in life that determines to position us to notice, desire and or recognise that the truth by nature cannot be broken for ‘we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 28:8). One can ask how God can proclaim to us that all things work together for our good when in actual fact some things are just so painfully unbearable and so what is the good that we are to expect to find in painful situations.
Similarly, it is very easy for us to love and like people and situations that are good and nice for us as opposed to determining to love and care for the undesirable and unlikeable. Determination is a desirable attribute but it also needs to be subjected to spiritual and cognitive discernment because if we can push something that is foundationally not right, then we are likely to determine to lose our rightful positioning. For us to experience the transformative power of change, we need to determine to learn within ourselves to pursue digging into our inner selves to develop new and deeper perspectives.
When we challenge to see life as a platform from which we learn we can only perceive and see the good that God has purposed in our lives. When we are changed and transformed, it metaphorically means a releasing or shedding off that includes letting go of some of our pasts, unveiling the hidden, forgiving the unforgivable and exposing our vulnerabilities. These can be hard areas and of course we may quickly jump into wanting to protect ourselves from being revealed and for many of us we use survival coping such as defence mechanisms which will cast shadow images to our identity. We may be drawn to that place where we need to sacrificially lay our bodies or certain parts of our lives on the altar for them to be cut off, pruned and or removed and it can be a painful process.
It may also mean symbolically seeing some parts in our character such as control, pride, self-righteousness take a place of unimportance as we build a new mindset change that embraces transformative change. In that light, transformation becomes a process that involves the soft nature of our being which includes change of attitudes, thoughts, emotions, will, power, purpose, values, beliefs, character, needs to mention a few. The transformative processes may also appear invisible as one is changing hence we need to determine to be patient and unrelenting in how we look and regard the change that is happening within us and in others and how we communicate them.
That explains why we are therefore urged to ‘offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Godthis is our true and proper worship. Moreover, we are admonished not to conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Romans 12:1-2).