'For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him, you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 'Colossians 2:12

Can people really change? That’s a question that gets knocked around quite a bit. I am here to tell you that they can, and they do. They absolutely do! God is in the business of transformation. With Him, lives are transformed. It’s true!

My wonderful husband reached a memorable birthday milestone this week and he is proof that people can be transformed. Tom is my best friend, my confidante, my challenger, and my cheerleader. I would not be here now doing this if he had not challenged me to keep moving forward in discovering my own purpose, and the more that God has for me.

Tom and I have known each other since we were eleven or twelve years old. Maybe even earlier. We don’t remember meeting each other. We knew each other before we each committed our lives to Christ. I knew him well then and I can testify to the transformational power of God. He is not the same person I knew. He is not even the same person I married. He is a different man. The old life truly has been buried and the new life is continually being created.

I knew Tom before he committed his life to Christ, and I have had a front-row seat to the transformation that Jesus has made of this man. He started as a depressed and frightened, unstable, quick-witted, and sarcastic attention stealer. He has become a confident, compassionate, articulate, and trustworthy leader. That has not come without cost. There have been struggles as he emerged from that cocoon of chaos. But now he soars. He really soars!

If you don’t mind, I’d like to shift my talk to Tom right now. Listen in as I share with him some of what I have learned from watching his metamorphosis.  

Transformation requires hope in Christ as an anchor, even in the darkest times.  Tom, your childhood struggle with depression has resurfaced several times in our years together. We are at the point now, where I don’t think it will ever overtake our life again as it has in the past. But in those extended periods where depression cast a shadow on every aspect of our lives and we found ourselves in survival mode, wondering when the sun might shine again, you never completely lost hope in Jesus. It was rougher than either of us can fully articulate. At times, it seemed like depression would last forever. But even in those times, you held on to hope. You knew the difference Jesus had made in your life and like Peter, you said, “Where else can I go?”  (John 6:68) There is no way we would ever have gotten married or stayed married if Jesus had not already been transforming us. Even without seeing clearly where it all would lead, you were able to hold onto Jesus and that got you, and me, through. Like a pen-sized flashlight in a cavernous auditorium, we still had a pinpoint of hope. Thank you, Tom, for never giving up.

The shadow of the past can never overtake the light of a transformed future. You are proof that what happened in the past does not keep the future from happening. Spending so many years together and knowing each other for so long means that there have been times when one or the other of us has had to process past failures and hurts. It has been an honor to walk through that with you.

You tend to be hard on yourself. There have been times when you have not been able to receive the grace that God has offered you as you took a hard look at past choices. But because you have become willing to face the pain of failure, acknowledge the consequences of choice, and mourn the losses, you have been able to heal and move past them. If you had not learned to receive grace you would not have been able to transform, but you have. Choosing to honestly evaluate your past self and choices have enabled you to leave them behind. As we learned from Pete Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, we need to go back to go forward. You have done that and as a result, you have experienced the freedom that allows you to leave it behind. The old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17}

Tenacious faith leads to transformation. Tom, there is no doubt that in the last forty years of following Christ you have struggled. There have been some very difficult times of darkness, but you have never abandoned your faith. You have wrestled with it, been honest and angry with God, but over and over you have landed back at Peter’s question, “Where else can I go?” You have held onto God, even if only by a thread at times, but you have never let go. As a result, you have come to the other side, and you truly have transformed. The verse I hear you quote most often is Romans 12: 1-2. But I think you and I both like the New Living Translation best, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Your commitment to God and His word, even when it seemed like letting go made the most sense, has changed the way you think and has changed you. You are a new person. The insecure, frightened, and fractured Tom of the past has disappeared. In his place is a stable and steady leader. Compassionate and caring. Not led by emotion, but by wisdom and the Spirit.

Tom, I wouldn’t want you to go back to any other stage of your life. As you have transformed you have not lost any of the best qualities. They are enhanced and empowered. The same spark of humor and creativity is in you. Your willingness to take risks is still there.  “Ready, Shoot, Aim” has been replaced with careful consideration. You are ready to take on a whole new career at sixty! Ready to risk. Passionate about pursuing purpose. Committed to following Christ wherever He leads. And I get to go with you! That is such a gift to me.

This written gift to you seems so small. You have given me so much laughter, love, and learning as I have walked with you through your transformation. You have trusted me at home and work. You have supported me and enabled me to pursue God’s call on my life, even when that has meant risks for you and for us. I would not be the person I am or accomplished what I have without you. Your transformation has been a part of my transformation. Thank you!

Tom, we have held onto Jesus together when it felt like we were slipping away from Him, or He was slipping away from us. We have wrestled with the pain of the past together, enabling us both to move forward. Even when the twinkle in your eye dimmed, we looked forward together. We knew that we would get through it somehow. Thank you for living your transformed life with me. Words cannot fully express how grateful I am for you. I love you!

Dear Friend, thanks for letting me talk to Tom for a bit, but I hope that you are encouraged and challenged. Tom’s transformation is not abnormal for those who follow Jesus. If you have surrendered your life to Him, then you are also in the process of being changed. You have already changed more than you realize, and your transformation will continue until the day He returns. (Philippians 1:6) Hold onto your hope in Him. Keep looking forward. Let your tenacious faith lead to your further transformation.

Key Thought: Transformed lives transform other lives.

A Scripture to Consider: 'For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him, you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 'Colossians 2:12

A YES Challenge: Think about the people closest to you. How have the struggles in their lives transformed them? How have they transformed you? Give thanks to God for the ways that He has used them to transform you more into the image of Christ.  

Prayer: Father, as I look back on these years of struggle, I see Your hand shaping and transforming us into the image of Christ. At times it was harder than we thought we could handle. It felt like we would be crushed, but You have held us up and helped us through it. Thank You for the gift of Tom in my life. You have made him who he is and used him to make me who I am. You are good and the future You have for us is good! Amen.