My husband used to always know when I had been on the phone with my grandma. The southern accent would come out. As an Army brat, we moved around a bit – not as much as many, but more than some – but Georgia always had a pull on me because of family. Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and long-time friends always seemed to greet you with a hug and a How y’all been doin’?
The longer I was immersed in it, the thicker the accent would be, but it never seemed to take long for it to slip away. Within a day of getting home from a long visit, I would slip back into the accent of my surroundings. Crazy, but I always felt a little sad about it.
Being back in the southern parts of the country for six years, you would think that I would have slipped back into some of the southern drawl, but I haven’t picked it back up as much as you might have thought. Instead, our son has started slipping in a little twang to his speech. It’s to be expected. I work mostly from home, and he’s immersed in it at school and with his cousins.
As I’ve been thinking about my grandma (it’s been nine years since she went to heaven), hearing the familiar accents pop up in my own home, I can’t help but see a connection with what I’ve been reading and listening to in my devotionals. Spending a little time on the phone with my grandma had me dropping y’all in my conversations more regularly, but I’ve noticed changes when I’m getting in the Word more often, as well.
But just getting into the Word and spending time with Jesus from time to time isn’t enough to make anything stick for long.
Think about Judas for a minute. He spent about three years with Jesus as a disciple. With Him almost every day. He heard Jesus’ words, He watched – and even participated in – miracle after miracle… and he still betrayed Jesus. From the outside, Judas was one of Jesus’ people. He looked the part, right? As my family might say, Judas walked the walk and talked the talk. But just being around Jesus didn’t result in Judas allowing Jesus to change him from the inside.
He didn’t allow Jesus to transform him. Who here wants to be transformed the way Judas was? Crickets… no one’s interested in experiencing the kind of transformation (or lack of) that Judas experienced. Transformation – real transformation – only occurs from the inside, out. In our heart, in our spirit.
All of life is a journey of transformation… of being and becoming transformed. So, what are we choosing to be transformed into?
I wrote last week about the fruits of the Spirit (Effortlessly Receive) and mentioned that the fruit He produces through me isn’t simply for me, but for everyone around me. The fruit He produces – a result of how I’m being transformed – is to show His glory to all who I encounter. As He’s transforming me from the inside out, my focus also changes. Instead of the selfish inward focusing that humans have this uncanny ability to zero in on, I’ll have an outward focus. There’s no reason for me to keep looking at myself because He has me taken care of!
As I’m transformed, He is glorified. As I’m transformed, I will start to look and sound more and more like Him. Can you imagine how different the world would be if more Christians would allow God to transform them from the inside out? It’s just not enough to be around Jesus.
One of my favorite miracles of Jesus is found in three of the Gospels: Matthew 9:19-22, Mark 5:24-34, and Luke 8:40-48 – the woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years. As a woman, I can say that a normal cycle is bad enough – I can’t imagine what this woman had gone through for so very long, not to mention the status of unclean making it nearly impossible to have any meaningful relationships.
Notice in the accounts given to us in Mark and Luke that they include the details of Jesus being surrounded by a crowd, they were pressing in around him on all sides. Out of the entire crowd of people, one person pushed her way through so she could reach out to touch the hem of His garment. And she was transformed. It wasn’t enough for her to simply be around Him. In order to be healed – to experience a transformation, she needed more than proximity. She had to pair action with her faith. For us to experience real transformation – from the inside out – we need more than proximity, too.
I’m absolutely on board with going to church. If anyone is struggling in their walk with God, I will ask where they go to church (sometimes it’s if they go to church). But going to church is the equivalent of being part of the crowd around Jesus. Church can offer the proximity, it can encourage us to get excited about what we’re seeing and hearing, but we have to allow it to transform our days the rest of the week. I’m sure Judas was excited, but he wasn’t transformed.
So how do we move from simply being in proximity to being transformed?
Church is part of it. Reading God’s Word is part of it. But it’s listening to Jesus above all others where true transformation will shine through.
Take a look at Luke 9:28-36. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray. While Jesus is praying, His outward appearance is transformed. Two men appear with Him – Moses (represents the Law) and Elijah (represents the Prophets). They chatted about what Jesus was about to accomplish, the fulfillment at Jerusalem – His death and resurrection. Wouldn’t you know it – the disciples had gotten a bit sleepy. Scripture tells us that when they came fully awake, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men with Him – and recognized who they were.
When I get nervous, I can certainly chatter on – with or without a southern accent. I’m trying to get better about it; to simply be in the moment even if it’s uncomfortable. Peter was apparently a nervous chatterbox, too. In his excited discomfort, he suggested that dwellings be made for each of them. Notice what God says in response: This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.
God didn’t choose Moses and the Law. He didn’t choose Elijah or the Prophets. He chose His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. To be our focus. To be who we follow. To be who we listen to.
I heard a pastor once say that you’re spiritually growing at the rate of your own obedience. He wasn’t meaning obedience to religion. It’s not about following the 10 Commandments, checking a box for going to church, and it’s not even about how many times you’ve read the Bible all the way through. It’s about how dependent you are on the Holy Spirit. It’s about Who you listen to.
Y’all, I want to be transformed. Not because I’m afraid of becoming like Judas, but because I’m so thankful for what Jesus did for me on the cross. When I think of what He endured, it causes me to want to endure. When I think of what He suffered, I can clearly see that there’s nothing I’ll ever experience that will cause that kind of suffering. When I see, over and over again, how much He loves me, I can’t help but respond with wanting to press through the crowd to touch just the hem of His garment.
I want to be transformed. It’s time to be immersed. It’s going to look different for everyone, but the short answer is to listen to Him. I like to keep a running dialogue with Him, sometimes my devotional turns out to simply be praise and worship after dropping the kids off at school. Sometimes it’s listening to a sermon over and over again. Jesus is always with you but it’s important to take Him with you. Let’s be intentional about going after our transformation.
