I had the chance to do some traveling this summer, and it really opened my eyes to a few ideas that I have never paid much attention to. Something that has especially been pressed on my heart is the idea of transformation. You see in the scripture that we should live transformed once we know Christ, and you hear countless sermons on the concept of living transformed lives. Especially after camps and conferences, you hear numerous stories of students testifying that their lives have forever been transformed.
But I have to ask, are we throwing this word around and misusing what it really means to be transformed? I had the privilege of going to a tribal village in Orissa, India this summer and, it was here this concept really clicked in my mind. This small village consisted of four families who had been devout Hindus for generations. One night, from the jungles that surrounded their village, an elephant came and trampled their homes. In the midst of their turmoil, a Christian field worker went down to help and share the gospel with them. Long story short, all of these families found Christ and before rebuilding their homes, they built a place to worship God. I was truly blown away and when I asked the people there why they built the church first, one of the children replied with, “it is the least we could do after everything God did for us. He allowed us to live one more day; all we can do is worship Him.” I was in awe of their selflessness and ashamed of my twisted idea of ministry. The people they have become cannot be recognized by those who knew them before. These families were the greatest example of what it meant to live transformed lives.
Think about this; when a caterpillar is born, it is not the best looking, it is not really desired by many, it is extremely restricted, and quite honestly, its life seems a bit pointless. As the caterpillar matures, it eventually gains enough strength to build itself a cocoon, and later, it turns into this beautiful creature known as the butterfly. Do you think that right upon coming out of the cocoon, the butterfly feels safe and secure in its new form? I think not. I can imagine it must feel a sense of fear and unease because of this drastic change. If one was to put a caterpillar next to a butterfly and not know the process, they would never say they are one in the same. I think we can learn a great lesson from the life cycle of this caterpillar and perceive a new understanding on the word transformation. Have you ever seen a butterfly, after going through metamorphosis, act like a caterpillar? I sure have not. That would be absurd! Why would a butterfly with all the freedoms in the world live bound like a caterpillar? Sadly, many of today’s “believers” live the same way they did before they found Christ. They are still bound to the same sins, same worries and same fears. Many are too scared to leave their areas of comfort and trust in Christ causing them to never really live as Christ intended for us to live.
When we say we are truly transformed but then not live as if we are, the only change that has occurred is a change of appearance. We may dress and act the part right, but when it comes down to it we are still the same unbeliever we were before. It’s sad to think of the freedom Christ has promised us and yet we continually stay bound to our flesh. It is really easy to dress transformed but living it out is what really matters. So I have to ask, are you still a bound caterpillar or are you living as a transformed butterfly?
OneAmongMany