metanoia

What a ride! What a journey! What a life!

The quest of life itself, whether we are adventurous or not, takes us on all sorts of roads. The road of “hard knocks”; the road to success; the road “not taken” and yet all of us step onto our little path and enter the woods, never quite sure what lies ahead. Many lose their way, getting lost in the forest of dreams, lost hopes and “evergreening.”

But what about METANOIA - the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self and even way of life? What if we discovered the path, the true way? The journey of a nonbeliever to a believer in Jesus is that transformational journey - metamorphous. The Greek word for transformation is metamorphóō. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul states that,

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The first step on this life-long quest is repenting or turning away from our “all about me” to focus our love and energy into God’s plan. Next, we have to recognize that we can’t earn our way in this life. We need to be born again spiritually and realize that we are in the world, but not of it. Lastly, we need to spend time in prayer and reading God’s Word so we can develop a closer, personal relationship with the God of the Universe.

I don’t want to be content, just walking the path; I want to experience life. That means going a little deeper, going a little further and discovering what life has to offer and what God has in store for me. Maybe I need to listen better; care more for others or even change some bad habits. With the good Lord’s help, it is possible. It certainly doesn’t happen suddenly.

Moses went from prince to prophet; David from shepherd to king; Mary Magdalene from sinner to follower; and Peter from denier to devoted Christ follower. And so may our prayer be: God, be my way; Jesus, be my words; Holy Spirit be my protector and guide on this crazy, roller-coaster, bumpy road of life.