Dangerous for Good, Part 3: TransformationSample

Day 2: The Transformation Process

The journey to becoming the man God calls us to be is a process, not an event. It is a deep and ongoing journey of healing, initiation, and validation—a journey where God’s love and truth slowly transform us from the inside out. But the path is not always easy, and it requires great vulnerability. To walk this path, we must face the wounds and false beliefs that have shaped us and allow God to bring his healing and validation into the deepest parts of our hearts. In The Heart of a Warrior, Michael Thompson wrote,

“Through the work of Christ in his cross, resurrection, and ascension, we have been ransomed, rescued, and redeemed. Much of the heavy lifting has already been done. Now, most of what the Father is up to in our lives is restoring us through healing, initiation, validation, and training. We turn in what isn’t us (the false self) for what is … our true self. And in the process, we move from disoriented to oriented, from unsettled to settled.”

Healing is the first step in this process. Our hearts are often weighed down by hurts and pains from the past—emotional scars, rejections, and traumas that we may have never fully dealt with. These wounds can leave us feeling disconnected from God’s love, or unworthy of his affection. But God promises to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3, paraphrased). As we bring our pain before him, he replaces our fear with his love and our shame with his grace. We are not beyond repair. His love can touch the deepest parts of us and begin the work of restoration.

Initiation is where the long steps in this transformative journey take place. Once we have been healed by God, he begins to initiate us into the unique ways we bear his image, into the calling and purpose he has for our lives. This is not a passive process. We must respond to God’s invitation to step into the life he has designed for us, to be his ambassadors in a broken world. And there are times this isn't fun or glorious; training seldom is. God equips us for this purpose, giving us the courage, and wisdom to keep moving, and over time, the strength needed along the way to overcome and become and fulfill his purpose in you, as you live out his will for you and others on the earth.

Validation is the last step. Every man longs to know that he is seen, known, and loved for who he truly is. Without this, it is so easy to seek validation in the wrong places, trying to earn approval or live up to a false image or standard. But God’s validation is different. In Christ, as we overcome and become, he speaks over us the validating truths of our identity: You are my beloved sons, chosen, redeemed, and affirmed. We do not have to strive to prove ourselves. We are already enough; we are already affirmed in him. Validation is the ceremony available to image bearers who move with God through healing and initiation, the well-done that every heart longs to hear and experience.

It was Howard Thurman who wrote, “Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive because that is what the world needs, men and women who are alive.”

May you come alive as you feel and experience God’s loving touch in your life today, knowing that he is with you and for you … healing, initiating, and validating you … calling you into the fullness of who he created you to be.

As you ponder all this today, consider asking God:

Father, where do I need healing in my heart? What past wounds have I carried that need your touch?

Jesus, how do you see me? What truths do you want to show me and affirm about my identity in you?

Holy Spirit, what is the unique glory and calling you are initiating me into? Empower and equip me to respond to your voice, direction and leading with courage and obedience.