Transformed

The key to the superhero world is anonymity. I know you’re probably thinking, the key is having superpowers, and you’re probably right. But hear me out. Anonymity not only protects yourself from villains having direct access to your personal life, but anonymity helps protect your loved ones from those same villains seeking revenge. Thus, Batman is the alter-ego for Bruce Wayne. Spider-Man is the superhero name for Peter Parker. Clark Kent is the costume for Kal-El or Superman. Then we have the Transformers who thrive on anonymity. They hide in plain sight, disguised as cars, trucks, semis, airplanes, and at times, even ghetto-blasters.

In the 2007 Transformer movie, Sam Witwicky shops for his first car, financed by his dad of course. He finds a broken down yellow 1977 Camaro. The salesman, Bobby Bolivia, foreshadowed something more when he said, “Drivers don’t pick their cars. The cars pick the driver, as there’s a mystical bond between man and machine.” In Sam’s case Bolivia was right, but he had no idea how right he was.

It’s not long before someone steals Sam’s new car, or at least that’s what he thinks happens. When Sam reports his car stolen to the police, he describes the moment where he discovered the car was a sentinel being, “My car transformed before me.”

I remember the first time watching the movie. The special effects were so clear and detailed that, honestly, believing a car can suddenly transform was not a stretch to the imagination. Even though the cartoons were well after my time, the movie capture the childhood fantasy in me.

Transformed. Like a caterpillar entering its cocoon for a month before emerging as a beautiful and colorful butterfly. Transformed. Like the art of origami, taking a flat 2-D piece of paper and creating an intricate and interesting 3-D form. Transformed. Like a home renovation or fixer upper sponsored by Chip and Joanna Gains who start the deconstruction followed by the reconstruction of a home. Transformed. Like when Bob Harper and Alison Sweeny motivate overly obese people in a boot-camp-like atmosphere to shed the pounds away. Transformed. Like Paul describes the Corinthians after listing the worst of sins, “. . . and that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of Jesus Christ . . .” (1 Cor. 6:11), as he notes that they are not the same people today as when he had introduced them to Jesus. Transformed.

Transformed is an expectation, not wishful thinking. But is it even possible for someone to change? To find someone who has metamorphosed from one type of person into someone totally different feels like a pipe dream. We probably fantasize of such transformation, but live with the disappointment of it never experiencing it. Sadly, we probably know more people who were good and godly turn godless. But what about someone changing into good?  

Paul writes, “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” (2 Cor. 3:18). Did you catch that, “are being transformed”? Paul draws from the Exodus story when Moses wore a veil after encountering God on Mt. Sinai (v. 13) in order that Israel would not witness his flaming face fading into a dull exposure. Moses’ face, exposed to the brilliance of God’s presence, begins to radiate. He chooses to wear a veil to conceal the dimming of his radiant face. While the story is quite remarkable in and of itself, Paul’s point is that the Old Covenant read without Jesus creates its own veil (v. 15-16). Lifting the veil is reading the Old Covenant through the lenses of Jesus which allows the transformation process to take hold so that we begin to think, talk, and do what Jesus did.

If I could capture this transformation process Paul is talking about, I believe it can be found in exploring the well-known prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which has been reworked into lyrics for a song. The prayer asks for the Spirit to overcome the natural reaction of the flesh. Where we find hatred, we bring love. Where we stumble upon strife, we speak peace. Where there is darkness, we shine his light (not our light, but God’s light). Here’s the words of this song:

“Lord make us instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase.
Lord make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease|
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is hatred, we will show your love
Where there is injury, we will never judge.
Where there is striving, we will speak his peace
To the millions crying for release,
We will be his instruments of peace.

Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight.
Where there is darkness, we will shine his light.
Where there is sadness, we will bear their grief
To the millions crying for relief,
We will be your instruments of peace.

Embracing the prayer of Assisi certainly holds transforming power in and of itself. Not only will it shift our perspective, but once we embrace the prayer, I believe the possibility of people being transformed increases, even if it’s just one person.  

Gene was an unbeliever who was described as harsh, impatient, indifferent, unappreciative, and even unconcerned about the people around him. But this unbeliever met a believer. He ran into a force he had to reckon with when he met Esther.

Their introduction was by two teenage friends, who just happened to be their sons. The boys, seeing something in each parent, devised their own Parent Trap to get them together. But there was a hitch, as this was real life and not a Disney movie: Gene was not a Christian, and Esther was not interested in being unequally yoked to a non-believer. To her credit, not only did she have her faith to consider, but her children as well. Out of the boys’ hands, and even out of Esther’s hands, God began to act. God worked through Esther so that Gene might be transformed.

Gene was willing to study with Esther, and was opened to being mentored. All this fell in line with a man who could see discipleship as an extension of his own discipline. From the guy who chose to eat spam and an oatmeal cream cookie for lunch. Every. Single. Day. Choosing that instead of Esther’s cooking. Or the fact that he went to bed every night at 11:00 – and sent everyone else to bed too. This discipline kicked in and he studied with Esther and he began buying into what she was selling. By the time the two married, he was a Christian man with more transforming to come.

Gene credits his ongoing metamorphosis to the respect he had for Esther. In a journal connected to a men’s class at church, discovered by his family and was composed some ten years in after his wedding day, Gene made clear the source of his change. In his own words, he writes,

“My moral, spiritual, relational standard has been affected greatly with the help and guidance of my wife, Esther” . . . My Esther has influenced me for the better, my whole outlook on life has been completely turned around. I now give more thought to my answer and more of a Christian response in all my actions, thanks to her evidence in my quest to live a Christian life.”

When I think of Gene, I’ll always remember him sitting by Esther’s side at the hospital while his bride was recovering from a fall. He sat by her side he gently held her hand, patting the top of it, and refusing to leave her. I didn’t know then, but I know now that I was witnessing the end product of God working through Esther to transform Gene so that . . .

his harshness gave way to gentleness,
his impatience surrendered to patience,
his indifferent submitted to compassion,
his un-appreciativeness conceded to thankfulness,
and his unconcerned mindset yielded to a caring man.

As we circle back around to the 2007 Transfomers movie, Sam and would be girlfriend, Mikaela, are given a choice. Danger is already upon them, which they can embrace the unknown future including the unknown risks and perils, or they can walk away, trying to return to a normal life. The key word is “try.” Bumblebee has the car door open for them – that 1977 yellow Camaro form – while they ponder their decision. Sam looks at Mikaela and says, “Fifty years from now, when you look at your life, don’t you want to say you had the guts to get in the car?” Suddenly, perspective is clear, and the choice becomes a no-brainer. The adventure awaits them as they climb into the car.

Jesus has a door open for you and he’s inviting you to the process of transformation. It’s a lifelong process. The question is, are you going to ignore the invitation and try to resume your so-called normal life, or are you going to accept the invitation and get in for the ride of your life?

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

Awakened to a New Perspective

John Keating, the literature teacher at the fictional Welton Academy in the movie Dead Poets Society, always saw the world through unconventional means. He had his students rip the entire first chapter of their textbooks out for disposal because poetry cannot be measured by mathematical probabilities. To demonstrate the danger of conformity, he took his students outside to march around the courtyard. But the scene that grabbed me was when he had his students stand on top of their desk to view the room. All the desks were still in place. The chalkboard continued to be mounted on the wall. The mini library was still intact. What changed was the students’ perspective. Standing on the desk gave them a different way of seeing the same situation. Perspective is everything.

Sometimes we find ourselves boxed in and trapped because the only view we have limits our perception. Sometimes simply stepping outside the box – outside our surroundings – gives us the new vantage point needed to see something new or different in a way we’ve never noticed. Other times it’s removing the blinders that hinder us from seeing the peripheral.

When Thomas Edison interviewed potential scientist to work for him, he took them to lunch. He ordered soup for the scientist. When order came, he sat back and watched what happened next. If the potential scientist reached for the salt before tasting the soup, the interview ended. If the potential scientist tasted his or her soup before reaching for the salt, the interview continued. He did not want his scientist to have their minds made up beforehand. Sadly, Edison failed his own criteria. In the war of currents, he boxed himself in with direct current (DC), making his mind up beforehand that DC was the only viable current, when others found success in experimenting with alternating current (AC). Perspective is everything.

When Peter saw the vision of Jesus in Acts 10, he was awakening to a new perspective on the Gentile mission. While Peter had preached that everyone who called on the name of the Lord will be saved (Act. 2:21), he hadn’t realized that such promise was offered to the Gentiles. When he saw that God had given Cornelius the Holy Spirit just like he had, he realized God’s plan. When Paul saw the light (Act. 9), he shifted from persecuting the church to becoming its biggest advocate. Readily admitting his own sinfulness (1 Tim. 1:15), he discovered that if God’s grace and mercy was more than willing to reach him then that same grace and mercy will reach the Gentiles (Rom. 1:15). Perspective is everything.

In any case changing the angle by which we view something alters our perspective, and that’s a good thing. When our perspective shifts, so does the way we see the world. We see people and situations differently. We tend to see them clearly. They say never criticize someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, so we understand their journey. We become sympathetic and empathetic to their plight. Will we change our opinion? Maybe not. But our inflexible views might soften. And if they soften we might step into compassion. For if we can view each other through the lenses of friendship, maybe we’ll stop viewing each other distrustfully as enemies.

What the writers, director and producers around Dead Poets Society were trying to grasp was that options were available if we’re willing to see them. How we navigate through life largely depends on the perspective we bring to living. Is there one path or two? Can we step out of the box? Are we working with blinders? What if we stood on top of our desk to view the situation? Suddenly, the world looks differently, and options begin to materialize. Perspective is everything.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)