What is Transformation?

What is transformation?
How do we find it or create it?
Is it completely God's job? Or do we have a part to play in it?

These are some of the questions that have been running through my head for a while. I seem to keep coming back to them.

In many ways they're foundational to how we live as Christians. We talk about transformation - about our need for it, about how we are or are supposed to be transformed to be more and more like Christ. But, what so we actually mean by it? And how does it happen?

I looked up the word transformation recently and was struck by part of the definition for it: "change in form, appearance, nature, or character." That seemed to be what we're talking about when we talk about transformation.

It's about our character becoming more and more Christ-like.

So, if that's what we're talking about, then what is needed for that to happen?

Because my brain works best in the world of math, as I've thought about this, it had been a math formula that has summed up my thoughts. I'll share more thoughts and explain what I mean by it, but I'll start by sharing the "formula":

Belonging + Identity = Transformation

So, what do I mean by belonging and identity?

Belonging is the safe place we need. A place where we're accepted exactly where we are and as we are. The place where we're loved and cared about. This is vital if we're going to come to a place of change.

Identity is about understanding the truth of who we are in Christ. It's about learning who we are in God's eyes. A firm, unchanging, stable identity.

It's when we have both of these - belonging and identity - that transformation can happen. And the order of them in important. It has to start with belonging. Once we feel like we belong - once we feel safe and loved as we are right now - we are able to start hearing the truth about our identity. As our understanding of our true identity in Christ grows in our safe place of belonging, we're transformed.

So, if we go back to the questions I opened this post with:

Transformation comes from having a safe place to understand and learn more fully our true identity in Christ. We need both a safe place to belong and to hear the truth of our identity in Christ to be transformed.

Transformation is God's job. We can't and don't have the responsibility to create it. Our part is to be available to God to use. He often chooses to use the people around us in this. So, our role is to be willing to be used by God and to be listening to what He is saying to us about who we are in Him.

Giving Up Worry?

Do you struggle with worry?

I think I'm pretty safe to say we could all answer yes to that question - at least sometimes. How much we worry or what we worry about might be different for all of us, but we likely all worry at times.

Luke 12:22-34 records Jesus' teaching on worry. I'm going to pull some truths and words of Jesus out of this passage, but what I'm saying might be clearer if you read the passage before you go on. Either click on the link above or look it up yourself.




Twelve verses that we love to quote or reference when it comes to the topic of worry. Jesus reminding us of why we don't have to worry and how much God cares for us. Words we know are true, but are hard to live out more often than not.

In many ways, it seems only natural to worry. About what we need; about how we'll be able to afford what we need; about what might be happening next; about what has happened. The big problem with worry is that it's often about things we can't control anyways; so it really does us no good.

In Luke 12:25 Jesus asks questions that point out the foolishness of worry:

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

Jesus is pretty clear in these words about the foolishness and futility of worry.

If Jesus left us at that point, we would still have a problem. We would know we shouldn't worry, but we wouldn't know what we should do instead. Since it's really difficult to just stop doing something and not replace it with something else. That just makes it harder.

Thankfully, Jesus doesn't stop there. He gives us the antidote to worrying just a few verses later in Luke 12:31:

"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

In these words, Jesus is explaining the shift in our perspective and thinking that is required if we're going to be able to let go of worry in our lives. We need to be looking to God and His Kingdom - seeking His ways on earth.

When that is our focus, we'll be able to let go of the worries we have. As long as our focus is on this earth and our needs and wants and all the unknowns, we'll be stuck in our worry. When we shift our focus to God and His kingdom, our worries are greatly reduced, or even disappear altogether.

Who Do You Avoid Helping?

How often do you go out of your way to avoid helping someone?

Who are the people you will go to great lengths to avoid helping?

Luke 10:25-37 records Jesus' parable of The Good Samaritan. It's another one of Jesus' well-known parables. A reminder of the kind of person we should be. Often preached on with a call to be like the good Samaritan.

As I was reading it recently, I was challenged by a hard question. It's easy to move right to the actions of the good Samaritan when we read this. Those are easier words to read. They encourage us in what we should do.

But, I when I slowed down and read about the actions of the priest and the Levite in the story, I was challenged by something else. The priest and the Levite were both good Jewish men. They were religious leaders in Israel. Nowhere in His telling of this parable does Jesus say there was anything out of place religiously in these men.

The priest and the Levite went out of their way to avoid helping their fellow Jew who had been beaten and robbed. Verses 31 & 32 of Luke 10 tells us that they both passed by the man on the other side of the road from him. They made a choice to avoid the man and avoid helping him.

It made me wonder about my own life. How often do I go out of my way to avoid helping people? Who are the people I go out of my way to avoid helping?

In other words, how often is my response to someone in need of help to do what the priest and the Levite did? How often do I cross to the "other side of the road" to distance myself from someone in need and avoid helping them?

These aren't easy questions to wrestle with. They've challenged me to look at some things in my life it would be easier to pretend aren't there. But, it's also been very necessary, if I'm going to live the life Jesus has called His followers to live.

So maybe, along with being encouraged to respond the way the good Samaritan did, we also need to reflect on some other questions:

How often do I go out of my way to avoid helping someone?

Who are the people I go to great lengths to avoid helping?

What changes do I need to make here?

I think that last question is vitally important. If we stop at the first two it just get depressing. The last question is about the changes we can make, and how we can move forward.

How I Want to Live

These words are a recent addition to my wall. In all honesty, probably a bit of an impulse buy when I saw them. But, they jumped out at me when I saw them.

Simple words. Simple things to live by. But, powerful in the kind of life that would be lived by someone the choice to live this way.

I've known someone who I would say has lived by these words. I know the power of that kind of a life. Her life impacted people in powerful ways because she lived this way most of the time.

Think Deeply

This is about taking time to really reflect and ponder what is happening in our lives. It's about more than just running through life without a second thought. We have to stop and take time to think about things - about life, what we're doing, what's happening around us and in our lives.

Speak Gently

This is all about how we communicate with people. When we speak gently, we communicate the value of the other person in the conversation. We still communicate our thoughts and opinions, but what matters is how we do it.

Love Much

Doing this means we might get hurt. We're putting ourselves out there - making ourselves vulnerable. But, loving much also has rewards. It's how we develop relationship with people.

Laugh a Lot

Laughter changes so much for it. We need it. We need to find things in life that we can laugh about.

Work Hard

Work is not a curse. God created. We need to work at what we've been called to do. And working hard at it brings honour to God.

Give Freely

Be generous with what you have. Time. Energy. Possessions. When we hoard what we have, it corrupts. When we're generous and willing to share what we have it changes everything.

Be Kind

This is all about how we treat people. Kindness goes a long way - especially in our culture where kindness often seems to be missing.


I would add one thing to this list: Listen Carefully.

Listening - really listening - is becoming a lost art in our society. But, when we learn to listen carefully and well to people it changes everything.


The person I knew who lived this well, is gone from this life now. But, her impact lives on because she lived this way when I knew her. Seeing this hanging on my wall is a reminder of how I want to live my life.