Transient Transitioning

Mirrors, Ice, pain and Glory

‘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, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.’

Imagine a room full of mirrors and Jesus has a mirror and he’s saying ‘look this way here is your image, my reflection’.

(It’s not empty or fragile self esteem anymore it’s ‘Christ esteem’ as Greg Boyd would put it).

Unveiled faces, ‘not hidden’ ‘Aletheia’ truth. The truth is we are being transformed. We are transitioning.

In this room lots of people are going to hold their mirrors up and try to tell you how you look and who you are…Broken, distorted or simply static like windows into you past. Don’t stunt your transformation by spending time ‘reflecting’ on and believing these disappointing reflections. Trust in the Transforming power of love. You are ‘a new creation’.

(1000 melting figures – the world wildlife fund raising awareness of global warming)

Being in transition can be hard sometimes, it means things are changing, you can’t stay in your comfort zone or hide from the truth.

Another facet of transition is transience, temporariness which can feel sad.

But when you realise what you have now is transient and will not last it doesn’t lose it’s value, far from it, it becomes all the more precious infused with meaning. Like watching a child’s first steps, hugging someone goodbye or stopping to watch the morning sunlight shining through ice that will soon melt away and be gone.

How can we bear to lose not just the painful but also the beautiful moments (and people) to the past?…

For me it’s knowing God has something greater just around the corner… another fresh glimpse of His Glory.

Today is my birthday and it’s been fun, but from an eternal perspective age is pretty meaningless, worrying about it is like ‘chasing after the wind’, what’s important is that each year faith matures you and Love makes you a little younger.

I Love ice, I love the way it captures light, it’s so beautiful… it reminds me to live in the moment, to appreciate transient transitioning and to look for God’s Glory in each new day.

‘He has set eternity in the human heart’  you don’t belong to this world.

‘So we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’ 2 Cor 4 v 18

My mum read this Blog (she’s great like that) and forwarded me an email I wrote to her….. two years ago I went on a trip to Sri Lanka to work as a prosthetics technician, making legs for people in the North, an area abused by civil war and still heavily militarised. The trip taught me a lot, it hadn’t been what I expected, it was one of the hardest trips I’ve been on and I struggled though it….

‘Being around people who don’t understand you is like looking into a distorted mirror – they bring out versions of you, but not the person you know you are (it’s not your best). It’s close, it’s still you, but not a true reflection; you’ll adapt, you’ll twist and turn until you find something close to the reflection you know… sometimes it’s good exercise and you learn something… but it’s uncomfortable. The image is often disappointing.
How wonderful when you find someone who knows you, who reflects your opinion, someone you can rest easy with; the relationships we hold close are so important.
In a similar way that’s why a relationship with God is so important too; He knows you through and through, in Him you can find your home, if you look in His mirror He’ll show you the person He wants you to be with no distortions.

The mirror here, in my dusty Sri Lankan bedroom, is full of ripples, some of the distortions even make me look better; but if I want the truth it’s just right of centre and down a bit…

at least I think so, maybe I need to come home to check.’

I’ve changed since I wrote this, I’ve been in transition. Sometimes it takes time to learn the lessons God is teaching you, what I was trying to grasp back then I’m still learning now …..

in the room full of mirrors I’m learning to fix my eyes on the one Jesus is holding.

Grandmother and grandson, both injured by the same air attack. This bubbles photo; a transient moment I will always remember.