Day 30

 

Transformers

 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

 

Romans 12:2

 

 

Once when I was a youth minister a man came into my office to sign up his kids for a youth retreat. The man was a church member though not a regular attender of the church and I was unaware he had any teenagers. I wasn't the only one that didn't know he had a teenage son and daughter. It was news to his family as well.

 

He told me the story. He had an ongoing affair with a woman for about 20 years despite being married to another woman. His mistress had given birth to 2 children who he had not acknowledged were his or had a thing to do with until just a few months before our conversation. His mistress had complained to him that the kids had become difficult to manage and she had finally demanded that he be of some help. So, he had revealed himself to be their father and set out to fix the 2 sullen, angry teenagers.

 

His plan to fix them was for me to fix them. I was to do this on a weekend retreat that would start on a Friday night and end on Saturday afternoon. I had less than 24 hours to  undo 15 years of neglect, hurt and anger. I was to be the Jack Bauer of youth ministers.

 

I like to think I was a pretty good youth minister. But somehow 3 short Bible studies and a relay race that you ran wearing swim fins on your feet while carrying a watermelon did not transform those two kids into Tim and Timisina Tebow. In fact the only things transformed by the experience were the watermelons which did not survive the race intact.

 

God does forgive people of their sins in an instant. In the amount of time it takes you to pray, God can change your eternal destiny and put you on the pathway to heaven. Being transformed, however, takes time. I know the little toy can change from a car to a robot in a few seconds but it takes a lifetime to transform a person. God has been working on transforming me for years and years and I have still got a ways to go. It is a process of discipleship that will last 'till I make it to heaven and see Jesus face to face.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Romans 12:1-2

 

• "In view of God's mercy" what are we to do that is the first step in being transforming?
• Being transformed is the positive thing we are to do. What is the negative thing we are to avoid?
• Is the world conforming you to be like it or are you allowing God to transform you to be like Jesus/