Transformed For Significance

Transformed for Significance

After three generations of living in the back country with no contact to the outside world, a father decided it was about time they saw what had become of the world. They finally came to the big city where they saw buildings so tall that they quickly became intimated.

Leaving his wife and daughter at the outskirts of the city he and his son made their way to one of these giant buildings. They walked into the lobby and saw things they never saw before. But with everything they saw there was one thing that held the father’s attention.

There were two large metal doors with lights on the side and at the top. Soon an elderly lady went up to these doors and pushed the buttons at the side. The doors opened and she got in and then the doors closed.

The lights above the doors started to light up, one, two, three, and higher it went. After it stopped the lights started flashing again in the opposite direction. Afterwards the doors opened and a beautiful young lady stepped out.

Flabbergasted the father turned to his son and said, “Wait right here, I’m going to get you mother and run her through that thing.”

While humorous, and something that will get me into more trouble than I think it was worth, the unfortunate reality is that many view their new life in Christ much the same way. That is, walk in and walk out as a whole new and improved person.

They want instant Christianity where they look just like Jesus after coming forward and accepting Him as their Savior and Lord.

The sad reality, however, is that they get rude awaking when they discover that holiness and Christlikeness isn’t instant.

The reason most people think this way is because of the society we live in. It produces a false mentality, that is, everything is microwavable.

We live in an instant society. We’re a people that are always on the go, and if something doesn’t come quickly enough, we move on. Why sit down for a meal when we can drive through. Why get out of the car when we can eat it on the go.

And even when we do sit down for a meal, most of it is instant and microwavable. Pop it in and ding, three minutes later you have a piping hot meal.

Think about it, how often do we see these words on food packaging: prepared, pre-cooked, pre-seasoned, and pre-sliced. I’m waiting for the newest set of “pre’s,” that is, pre-chewed and pre-digested, all we have to do is swallow, and the rest have already been done for us.

(Now go out and enjoy your lunch)

It’s unfortunate, but this microwave mentality has done a lot of damage. You see, maturity doesn’t come out of a box. You cannot find it in a box of Cracker Jacks. There’s no such thing as completion in a can.

Rather, maturity is a process, and it takes both time and energy. Maturity involves transformation, and transformation involves a struggle.

Consider the butterfly, it doesn’t start out as a butterfly, it starts as a caterpillar in a cocoon, and then it fights and struggles to get out. Now, if you help in the process trying to make it easy for the butterfly, it stunts the butterfly and it comes out crippled and unable to fly.

This is what has been happening in this world, as people want the easy way, rather than working. In fact, for many in our instant everything world, working is like a dirty word and seems somewhat heretical.

In fact, living so close to Las Vegas this is easy to see. Vegas was built on the illusion of quick riches. Hit Mega Millions, a jackpot, or draw a royal flush and you’re set for life.

But it’s all one big façade. Get past the glitzy lights and opulence and you run smack dab into the cold hard reality and the hard facts of life.

While in college I worked at the old Mint Hotel on Fremont Street. I worked in purchasing. And to get to purchasing you go into the hotel with all the plush carpeting and wallpaper, through a door where you now are walking down a hall with concrete floors, metal grate stairs, chain link fences and into a cold and ruthless environment.

In fact, the back loading dock was in the ally and what you smelled was rotten garbage and you would see many homeless laying in the gutter or sitting up against the walls. And the sad part of this story is that most people still want to believe in the façade; rather than the reality.

What is a façade? It’s a superficial appearance or an illusion of something that it’s not.