THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION

Like most kids growing up in the 1980s, I was a huge fan of Transformers. I loved watching the cartoon and seeing how the ‘Autobots’ would somehow always manage to defeat the ‘Decepticons’.

Truth be told, even as I think about it now, I can hear the theme song screaming on repeat in my head…

“TRANSFORMERS…more than meets the eye!!!”

If you know it, you will thank me later for having it stuck it your head for the rest of the day!

But, for those of you that don’t, the theme song was sung by some 80s rock band, (the kind I wasn’t allowed to listen to back then). It’s kind of musical, but definitely memorable.

I can still remember the feeling I had when I saw an advertisement on TV for real life Transformers. I couldn’t believe they had actually made them. I thought it was too good to be true. But it was true! They had made toy Transformers and I knew I had to get one!

I must have pestered my parents for weeks until they finally relented and took me to the toy shop to buy my very own Transformer. Of course, I wanted Optimus Prime, the leader and the best of the best!

But when we arrived at the store, they didn’t have any Optimus Prime left! They only had Bumblebee. I was so disappointed, but not enough to leave without a Transformer. And not as disappointed as I would be later.

When we left the store and I was allowed to open the packaging, I was expecting my Transformer car to ‘auto-magically’ change all by itself. Instead, I had to do it, and as I held the car in my hands, I couldn’t work out how. I fumbled with a few twists and turns, but it just wasn’t happening the way I thought it would. Eventually, I had to get some help from my mum. She pulled out the instructions and we worked it out together.

I have to say, I did enjoy playing with it, and I was grateful my parents bought me the toy. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be.

But why am I writing to you about the toy robot I had as a kid?

Because whenever I think about that robot Transformer, I can’t help think about Romans 12:1-2.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (New International Version, Romans 12:1-2).

I think you’d agree that this transformational work is mysterious, and it’s something that God, in His sovereignty, does. But it’s also a process that we enter into. It’s active, not passive. It takes work and understanding, and it often takes a little help from others who are older and wiser than we are.

But if we stop to think about it, the problem is not that transformation needs to happen. It’s that real transformation, real life change, real renewing of our minds, is hard work. It’s soul work and it takes a long, long time!

The reality is that by entering into the work of Christ in us, we can be transformed into His likeness and bear the fruit of that transformation He promised. Our minds can be renewed and our lives can be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I’m not sure about you, but I want those things in my life.

So how do we do that?

One of my favourite authors is Eugene Peterson, and he talks about this process as “a long obedience in the same direction”.

It’s a gradual process…little by little…so slow it sometimes seems like it’s not even happening.

A few Christmases ago, Cass gave me a gift. It was a beehive complete with a few thousand buzzing bees. I put it down the back of our property, and every few weeks I would go check it for signs of progress. It was a bit tedious and at times disheartening. While I couldn’t wait for my first crop of honey, the reality was not much happened for a very long time. It was just an empty white box. And while the bees would come and go, so too did the seasons. Time passed. The same thing happened day after day. Until one day, I realised that their obedience in the same direction, filling the multitudes of tiny holes in the honey comb, eventually resulted in the sweetest harvest. We filled jar after jar after jar, and it brought joy to our many friends and family.

Life in Christ is like that. It’s a daily submission to Jesus and to the process. It takes faith, tenacity, and work. Just like my Transformer toy, it doesn’t happen ‘auto-magically’. It means we need to dive deep into the instruction of the Word of God and look to others who are older and wiser than us to help us along the way.

So, my encouragement to you is this: don’t be discouraged by the slow progress you may see in your life. Instead, be like my bees. Continue doing what you know to do, be obedient to the Word of God day in and day out. Look to Him and trust in what you know He promised to do. Eventually, you will reap the sweet reward of your faithfulness. Your mind will be renewed. Your life will be full of spiritual fruit. And as you offer your body as a living sacrifice, it will become holy and pleasing to God. It will become true and proper worship.

As we transform into the likeness of Christ, I believe there will truly be more to you than meets the eye!

For more on this check out Rich’s Creative Leadership Masterclass from Worship and Creative Conference entitled ‘The Creative Process of Personal Transformation’.