How Do We Understand Life as a Series of Transformations?
February 26, 2021
Growth, Perceptions, TransitionsGod’s nature does not have even a single hint of variation, for “He changes not.” (a) [see endnotes for Scriptures] That is a good thing! We can count on His unchanging and inexhaustible love and care. (b) He stays concerned about our well-being and will help us through this life’s trials and difficulties, especially believers. (c) How fortunate we are to have a Father who cares so deeply for us!
This earth’s ever-changing environment is the specific place God chose to birth His offspring into existence and mature them through transformational changes. Transitions are a necessary part of life. This is illustrated in Israel’s experience in the wilderness. After they were delivered, they needed time to ‘let go’ of the supply and safety mentalities of slavery, while they learned to “walk in” the freedom God provided. (d) So how do we understand life as a series of transformations?
Womb of Beginnings
So how did we come to be? When the Eternal One desired to be a father and parent children, who would ‘grow and develop’ into reflections and resemblance (image and likeness) of His heart, He created an environment of change. The created universe became a place where life could begin, then grow and transform into levels of maturity. (e)
Transformations are life improving changes that take us from one phase, season, and situation to another. They are never complete in an instant or a moment of time. A favorite example of transformation is the metamorphosis caterpillars experience. Within a restraining cocoon, over the course of time, a worm-like creature changes into a beautiful butterfly that is able to fly around in the heavenly atmosphere above the limitations of its beginnings.
This world is designed to be the womb of our beginnings, where we grow, develop and transform into levels of maturity. (f) The natural world, with its variables of ‘good and evil’ progressions (productive and destructive), allows our insightful heavenly Father to lead and guide us through our transforming improvements. (g)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” (h)
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (mature).” (i)
This world is designed to be the womb of our beginnings, where we grow, develop and transform into levels of maturity.
Offspring of God
Our first stage of development is in the womb of our mother where we begin to form and grow, to be active and aware. In April 2016, scientists were able to capture images of a flash of light that occurs at the very moment a human sperm cell makes contact with an egg. (j)
Yes, a burst of light! Despite the circumstances of 
conception, God is very involved in our initial beginnings. At the very moment of conception, the God of Love and Light (k) begins the process of bringing each person into a spiritual and physical consciousness. (l) While we are all obviously offspring of man and woman, we are also offspring of our heavenly Father. A deposit of His Spirit is in each person!
The Womb is where we are initially formed into a human being: a combination of an infusion of God’s spirit, physical flesh, and a conscious soul. (m) During this stage, we begin forming our perceptions of care-giving love. The quality of our development in the womb is influenced by the nutrients we are given and our mother’s moods and emotions.
After a period of time, we come to the end of our womb experience and a transformation prepares us to exit that world and enter our next enlarging phase of development. When we leave the womb’s protection and supply, our ties with its developing phase is cut and we move into a new world.
While we are all offspring of man and woman, we are also offspring of our heavenly Father.
Transitional Life
When we leave our first womb of development, we enter a realm that presents us with broader processes of transforming growth, activity, and awareness. At first, we are overwhelmed as we begin to see and comprehend more than we could even imagine in the womb. The new sights, sounds, and emotions enlarge our conscious perceptions as our ability to sense, feel, and receive relational love and light are enhanced.
As babies and toddlers, we are more on the receptive side of life because we still need to be fed, cleaned and sheltered. Over time, we learn to be a bit self-sufficient and somewhat independent. However, we remain interdependent for expressions of enabling love and revealing light. In this stage of life, we choose what nutrients we accept and how we react to our environment.
As expressions of God and of man, our transformations seem to never end. (n) In due course we become fathers and mothers, who co-labor with God’s efforts to multiply His offspring.
This temporal world is full of transitions that continually invite us to change and improve our perception of God and this life. We really want to stay in a constant state of change so we can see more, understand more, and become better expressions of our heavenly Father. As we partake of God’s love and light from various sources, our thoughts, attitudes and actions can improve.
As we partake of God’s love and light, our thoughts, attitudes and actions can improve.
Partaking of Eternal Perceptions
Just like we leave the provisions and limitations of a mother’s womb, we eventually exit the limitations of this world and are cut from its good and evil growth processes. We enter a third stage of development where light is brighter and love is more intense. Our perceptions of God’s Love and Light will exceed what we can even imagine in this life. Scripture puts it this way:
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all God has prepared for those who love Him.” (o)
While God has so much more in store for us than we can even imagine, we are invited to partake of and grow in His Love and Light during this life. Scripture says, “This is eternal life; to know (by experience) God and Jesus Christ.” (p)
It really is amazing how we are invited to partake of eternal perceptions in this life. (q) As we accept and live in the abundant life of God’s fellowship, (r) we experience more qualities of the life to come and become spiritually minded people. (s) May we, as willing children, keep changing and transforming into better recipients and expressions of His Love and Light.
As we accept the abundant life of God’s fellowship, we become spiritually minded people.
a) Malachi 3:6; b) Psalm 118:1, 29; c) 1 Timothy 4:10; d) Exodus 13:17-18; e) Genesis 1:1-25; f) Genesis 1:26-31; 2:1-4; g) Psalm 31:3; 23:3; h) 2 Corinthians 3:18; i) Romans 12:2; j) https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-captured-the-actual-flash-of-light-that-sparks-when-sperm-meets-an-egg; k) 1 John 4:8; 1:5; l) Job 31:15; m) Genesis 2:7; n) Romans 11:33; Psalm 145:3; o) 1 Corinthians 2:9; p) John 17:3; q) 2 Corinthians 4:4-11; Ephesians 4:22-25, 31-32; r) John 1:10; s) Romans 12:2
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder