Transformed

Since my youth I have been a fan of the Transformers toy line. I followed the animated series and movies faithfully; I even read the comic books. I loved the robotic technology, the depth of the storylines, the diversity of the characters, and the pitched battles between good and evil.

I recall the heroism of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots who disguised himself as a semi-truck, and the treachery of Starscream, the F-15 fighter jet, second-in-command of the Decepticons. Ah, good times. Soon there is a live-action movie coming out - you can bet I won't miss it!

Yet despite how utterly cool the Transformers were, it has occurred to me that we can learn nothing of transforming from them. For when Optimus Prime transforms from a robot into an 18-wheeler, he can transform back into a robot again - therefore there is no real change in his character; he simply remains as he is. The disguise is part of his nature.

As part of my recent pilgrimage through the desert, I was reading Romans 12 tonight, in the Jerusalem Bible, and came across the passage which in the NIV Bible tells us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Here's how the JB puts it:

Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

When my behavior changes, I am truly transformed. If my behavior reverts, my transformation was therefore incomplete or temporary, and thus not genuine. I must move beyond the disguise and really become different, if the reality of intimacy with the risen Christ means anything at all. So what causes real transformation?

When my mind is made new.

So what makes my mind new? Ah, that is an insight I've yet to discover on my way through this desert. But I've gone through enough of a journey that I feel I may resume blogging now. Stay tuned, and keep me in your prayers.