Saturday, September 13, 2008

Somewhere inside the light bulb


illuminate
verb
1. the bundle was illuminated by the torch
LIGHT (up), lighten, throw light on, brighten, shine on, irradiate; literary: illumine, illume, enlighten. ANTONYM darken.

2. the manuscripts were illuminated
DECORATE, illustrate, embellish, adorn, ornament.

3. documents often illuminate people's thought processes
CLARIFY, elucidate, explain, reveal, shed light on, give insight into, demystify; exemplify, illustrate; informal: spell out. ANTONYM confuse, conceal.

[definition provided by my dictionary widget]

I have blogged other places, I've thought thoughts on other pages, and here I am beginning a new blog in a new place. What has changed are my thoughts. 

Most of my life till now could be characterized by a number of word-pictures. For many years my email name has been (and will continue to be) transphormed@whereverI'mdoingmyemail.com, and I applied that name to my old blog as well. But here's the hang up - the more I look inside myself, I see less and less that has been transformed and more and more that needs to be transformed by God into the likeness of Christ. Those days are bummers. The name I chose for myself has turned into a shackle of shame chained to my soul because I know that though I've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, my mind has not yet been renewed perfectly - though it is being renewed daily. As a result, the most of me has yet to be transformed. 

I am forced, therefore, to choose a name that strikes an honest accord with this new account of my body, mind, and soul. This last week I began reading the Gospel of Jesus, as recorded by the Apostle John, and as I read the first chapter I was struck by a phrase I thought I knew.

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5

I count myself amongst those have been illuminated by the Life and the Light of men, Jesus the Christ, my Creator and Redeemer. The Messiah shines into the darkness of my body, mind, and soul. He reigns and is not subdued, He reigns and is not overcome. In this there is no shame, in this there can be no false guilt. Before, I wrestled to be transformed by my own strength. Now, I rest, knowing that by God's grace He shines upon me, in and through me, not by my will but His alone.

Hopefully, this blog will be reflection of God's continual illumination of my being. I pray that it will, and that through His word, with Christ as the center, this blog will serve to illumine you as well, transforming each of us through the renewal of our minds by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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