TRANSFORMED
Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to be changed more and more into the likeness of Your dear Son. I offer myself to You this day. Thank You for Your everlasting love. Amen.
Scripture: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
Change – 1. to become different, or make something or somebody different.
Transform – 1. to change somebody or something completely, especially improving their appearance or usefulness 2.to change completely for the better.
Change happens every day. If we do not intentionally pursue one type of change then another is sure to occur. For example, if we do not pursue a healthy body by healthy diet and exercise a less healthy body will come to pass. If we do not practice a talent we desire to perfect, we will eventually fail at it. If we do not prioritize certain relationships, not only will they not grow, but with time they will diminish. Change happens – transformation takes planning, performance, and perseverance.
God has a plan for your life; purpose, projects, places to go, people to impact. With every passing day, experience, relationship, opportunity, trial, victory, failure, lesson, and more, we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. God does the hard work. He is the “Potter,” we are the clay. It is up to us to be willing, disciplined participants in the process in order to reap the reward of transformation.
As a child of God, you are on the “transformed” side of the coin. As an educator, one hopes that they will have a positive, lasting transformational impact on the students that they teach, coach, or counsel. These students seem to grow and change before our eyes each day. Take a picture of your class on the first day of school and the first week of each month throughout school until the last days and compare the pictures. Change is always occurring. You keep notes of their attitude, cooperation, attention, participation; unfortunately for some students, there is a significant change in these from the beginning of the school year and the end. Some make several changes, go through several challenges, groups of friends, make bad choices, go through trials; some come out better and stronger, some do not. What can you do to help them transform instead of just change? Are there times when you have to allow the “changes” before you can work on the transformation? Are there some lessons they really have to learn for themselves or can you have a hand or at least a presence in their lives as they grow? How involved are you willing be? How involved are you allowed to be? What role does your student have to play in their transformation? Do you see any parallels with your role in God’s transformation of you?
Whatever is required of you to teach this year; math, science, music, reading, etc, you are the teacher. You have to plan, perform the plans and persevere in order for your students to learn and master these skills. You are essential to their success, just as God is essential to your transformation into the likeness of Christ. He will never give up on you. He will never leave you. As a matter of fact, He will never even roll His eyes at you. Transformation is His goal.
My prayer for you is that you would seek transformation.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]