I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
I've been hit in the head with this word many times over the last few months. The first was in reading this passage, only to hear it again that night in a world religions class, and again the next day at a concert to raise awareness for human trafficking and child prostitution. All three times, God spoke the same message into my heart: Am I worth changing for?
The obvious answer in my head is "Of course, Jesus." But if I think about it, is my life really different? Have I really been transformed, or am I just parading around in sheep's clothing?
I keep coming back to God's promise in Ecclesiastes, that He makes everything beautiful in its time. I think that's what it means to be transformed. When you love Jesus enough to let him wash your feet and your heart and your soul and your mind daily. It's not a single moment, like a magic trick. It's ongoing, a process, a brutal commitment that must be remade daily, where one lets themselves be loved deeply and fully and passionately.
I have found that love is the greatest weapon we will ever have, because it is love that truly changes people. Love truly transforms a human, from the inside out, heart and soul and mind and body. Love heals the past and gives hope for possibilities. I don't remember words or sermons, or specific scriptures, but I remember when people let me cry on their shoulders, or when they gave me rides home, or when they sat and had conversations for hours and hours and let my heart beat wildly. I remember hugs and prayers and laughter because that's the real stuff in life. That's the God stuff. You can't buy it and you can't exchange it, because it's true and deep and it wrecks you. Forever.
I know that I have been transformed. Here is the deepest truth that I carry around in my heart: I am loved and pursued by the maker of the freakin' universe. And it has changed me and saved me and I'll never have to be what I know I was supposed to be. And I know it. Oh, how I know it. It lives in my heart and it's making me new and beautiful everyday. I'm thankful.
