Wednesday, December 13

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

I recently assumed a new role with my employer and had the opportunity to attend several “Transformational Leadership” workshops. The goal of these workshops is to “transform” our ability as leaders to empower others and tackle complex challenges. While these sessions have been very informative and professionally beneficial, two things have really stuck with me. First, transformation, defined by Merriam Webster as “a change in composition, character, or condition,” is hard work! And second, despite the hard work required, as humans, we have a strong desire for transformation, for improvement.

How amazing is it then to realize that as Christians, we’ve already been transformed! The hard work was done by Jesus! We might feel continuous pressure in our daily lives to change this or be better at that, but in this Holy Season let us pause to remember that we have been transformed by Christ. Of course, we continue striving toward God’s upward call in Jesus Christ (Phil 3:13-14), but we’ve been given the gift of transformation through faith. We have attained it (Phil 3:16). I can almost feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders! Thank you, Jesus, for doing the hard work for us, for giving us the priceless gift of transformation.