The Long Process of Becoming

Transformation sounds like a good idea, but often the dream is easier than the work it actually takes to make it happen. During the COVID shutdown, I found the coolest picture of a backyard play set for kids. I remember showing it to Brandon and saying, “You can totally make this!” It looked simple enough, cut some wood, screw the pieces together, add some paint and a slide and voilà. Yet neither of us had ever built anything like that before.

We spent the next few months working on the project, buying tools we didn’t know we needed, making extra trips to the hardware store, and purchasing more wood after learning the hard way to “measure twice, cut once.” What looked simple required patience, new skills, far more time than we expected, and lots of “I’m sorry.” By the time we finished, our kid had an awesome new play set. But we had no idea, at the beginning, what the transformation of that pile of lumber would really demand.

Spiritual transformation is often the same way. We often long to experience the kind of transformation we see in Jesus, but we find that change is rare and difficult. We want to be more patient, more generous, more loving, yet we are surprised by how slow the process feels. We imagine growth will happen quickly, but instead it requires daily choices that are more in line with Jesus than our own desires and the willingness to keep going when we would rather quit.

Jesus’ life shows us how to live our own lives in his footsteps but becoming like him is not instant change. It is shaped in ordinary moments, in forgiving those who hurt us, in choosing kindness when we don’t feel like it, and  in praying over and over. Our transformation happens through persistent practice.

The good news is that we are not left to build this transformation alone. The Spirit of God is at work in us, shaping us all the time. Just as the play set did not appear in our backyard in a single a day, our transformation to live like Jesus is formed slowly.

When growth feels slow, don’t assume nothing is happening. Keep showing up. Keep practicing and learning how to love. Keep trusting that God is at work in the long process of becoming. Transformation may take more than we imagined, but God is faithful to finish what God begins.

Prayer

God, you are faithful. As I seek to live a life transformed by you, give me the strength to be faithful like you. Grant me grace on days I make mistakes and surround me with people who will encourage me as I seek to live more like you. Amen.