Transformation

Transform/transformed means to be changed in form, appearance, nature or condition. Romans 12:2 tells us "And be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

We are all constantly being transformed (changed) by the experiences of life. We may not and in most cases, can not, control what happens to us as we walk this journey here on earth, but we can control how we respond to those happenings. And how we respond to them will determine whether our transformation is for the good or the bad. Romans 12:2 tells us that we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We need to allow our minds to be renewed by the Word. We need to view our experiences, tragedies, all of life's situations the way God views them, not as the world does. What the world may see as a bad thing may indeed, in God's hands, be a good thing if it causes us to press into God, to draw closer to Him to allow Him to conform us into the character of His Son. He may even use a tragic situation to reveal Himself to us and we come to know Him as Savior. So, then, can we really call that tragedy a tragedy?

The Word tells us there are things that Satan means for evil, but God uses for good (Genesis 50:20). God is always wanting good for us. When things don't go your way, do you rail against God? Have bitter disappointments in life made you bitter? Or have you become a better person as a result? Most of us would not want to go through those situations again, but we can rejoice at what God has done in and through them. I do not and never will rejoice in my husband's death, but I do rejoice in what God has done in my heart as a result of the devastating pain I felt after He died. That pain pushed me to the brink of myself and in my brokenness, I found the provision of God. The change that God has brought about in my heart as a result fills me with a joy that I had never experienced before because I experienced God in a whole new expanded way.

I encourage you today to view your hardships in life from God's perspective. Run to Him, don't allow your heart to become hardened. Let God soften it; turn it to Him and allow Him to make something beautiful of it. Allow God to change you from the inside out. Your situation may not change, but you will. God will renew your mind and cause you to cry out, as Mary did - "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." (Luke 1:46,47,49)