Between last week and this morning, I’ve been posting a series of reflections upon spiritual transformation. The following is my response to this morning’s question about how we can be transformed:

Transformation isn’t under our control. And transformation comes through external forces–like taking a job or meeting a
spouse or having a baby. But when I talk about spiritual transformation, I’m
actually talking about God doing the transforming. It’s why the image of a new
birth is so appropriate. When Marilee was in my womb, she wasn’t there because she asked to be created, and
she didn’t do anything to “create” herself. Yes, she struggled her way into the world, but the responsibility for her birth was largely mine.
The same is true for God. As a Christian, I believe that God can transform
you–first on a spiritual level, but in such a way that the spiritual connects
to the physical and emotional and moral and intellectual aspects of your being
too.

How does that happen?
Sometimes it’s a slow process–like a seed planted in the ground, and you don’t
even know it was planted until it starts to grow. And sometimes it’s a dramatic
change–again, like the birth of a baby where you couldn’t help but notice it
has happened. I know people who can say, “I became a Christian
under the tree at such-and-such address on such-and-such date.” And I know
others who say, “I had a gradual understanding of my sin and God’s love
and the way Jesus wanted to work to make me whole.” But either way, we’re
talking about a transformation that comes from the outside in, that invites the
Holy Spirit to enter into a life and make it new.

For the final posts in this series, check back in next week, where I will share my personal story of spiritual transformation.