“For if we have been united in the likeness of His death, we will also be united in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).
To be a Christian is to be a person undergoing a great transformation. What we are today will not become what we are tomorrow and each day thereafter until our life ends. We are creatures engaged in the act of “becoming.” As Paul wrote, “With unveiled face we all behold the glory of the Lord, as in a mirror, and are transformed from degree to degree into the same image by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We have already died to our old self, but what “the likeness of his resurrection” will mean for us is not yet fully known. only time will tell.
In nature, we are familiar with the metamorphosis by which, for example, a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The amazing thing about this process is fundamental difference Between the caterpillar and the butterfly. Who could have predicted such a change?
But metamorphosis in the spiritual realm differs from that in the physical realm because it involves the freedom of will of those who are being transformed. A caterpillar has no right to what kind of butterfly it becomes, but we have a right to what we become. In fact, it is by our choices that we determine whether we will turn into glorious beings (partakers of the divine nature) or hideous demons (partakers of nothing other than the corruption that results from death and decay).
Life in God has been rightly called a great adventure. No small part of this adventure is the joy of watching yourself unfold and grow into a fully mature person. What right-thinking person could fail to get excited about being transformed in this way?
We should not give up on ourselves when we feel disappointed with who we are. One day, we will be glorious beings, but we are not there yet. And even in this life, very few of us have matured into the kind of person others will remember after we are gone. The most that can be said is that we are is being made The people we were created to be. But that’s saying a lot! In God, both the destination and the journey are things to be thankful for. Let’s not fail to appreciate the amazing process we are in the middle of.
“People become what they are. Even Beethoven had to be Beethoven” (Randy Newman).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
