I’m sure you all know this already, but I think it bears repeating. Transformation – of your heart, mind, body or soul – is NOT for sissies! First of all, there’s the necessity of realizing that change is necessary or desired, and that can be a huge stumbling block. The state of denial is one that many of us have lived in, vacationed, or even just driven through on our journey. Denying to yourself the need for a change is a denial of your absolute need for growth. Without growth, we become stagnant and not only stop moving forward, we regress. God just doesn’t want that for you!
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 gives us this promise – “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Let’s talk for a moment about our “unveiled face.” In this particular passage, Paul is referencing Moses’ experience in Exodus, when he comes down from the mountain after talking to God and his face was shining so much from his time with the Lord that others couldn’t look upon him. Every time after that, when he would spend time in the Presence of the Lord, his face would shine so much that he would wear a veil until it wore off. Paul tells us that WE ALL, with an unveiled face – in the Greek anakalýptō prosōpon(with our veil removed from our visage) – can behold the glory of the Lord, as in a mirror. With the freedom to do so, we are being transformed, from glory to glory! The word used here, doxa in the Greek translates to “good opinion concerning one, and as resulting from that, praise, honor, glory.” (Strong’s 1391)
I know this got a little technical (and I didn’t even begin to dig into liberty…) What I would really like for you to take from this is that YOU CAN UNVEIL YOUR FACE FROM GOD. There is nobody else that you can trust more than Him, or that wants more for you than He does. He WANTS to TRANSFORM you, from glory to glory – He wants praise, honor and glory for you, and for you to open yourself up to becoming more like Him. The hard part? The word used here is metamorphoō which means “to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure” (Strong’s 3339). How willing are you to change? To let Him do His work in you?
I’m gonna be honest here – submission is difficult for me. A childhood of trauma put up some pretty thick walls, and a need for control. Letting God take the reins is something I battle on a daily basis, and as much as I would LOVE to say otherwise, I don’t usually let Him win that one. Maybe I need to change my perspective – instead of thinking of it as a battle, what if we think of it as a journey – one in which we move forward, a little every day, with a desire to have what HE wants for us instead of what we selfishly think is best?
Looking back, I CAN see the changes. I CAN see the little bits of transformation, the big and little steps taken to unveil myself and trust Him with my heart. My goal, my hope and prayer for us all, is that we can turn our unveiled faces toward Christ, the author and perfector of our faith, and see ourselves in the mirror of His love for us. If we can do that, we will find ourselves transforming into His very image.
Start, as always, with prayer – Pray with me… “Father, I know You want so much for me. I don’t even know if I want it for myself, but I WANT to want it! Please help me to get out of my own way and unveil myself to You. There is nobody else who loves me the way You do and knows me more than I know myself. You know what I don’t know, and You can see what I can’t see – I’m trusting You with my heart and taking this first step. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”
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