And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

I was invited to share some thoughts at our women’s brunch yesterday about how God has transformed me since calling me to Himself. The timing was fitting, as one of the most transformative events of my life occurred 29 years ago today, when I became a widow at 38.

This post is based on the comments I made at the brunch.

Looking Back

There are challenges that come with getting older, but there’s one thing I truly cherish: gaining a long-term perspective. I was baptized and made a public profession of faith shortly before my 16th birthday, just over 51 years ago. I didn’t know much theology back then, but I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior, that Jesus loved me and died for me, and that I wanted to live a life pleasing to Him in gratitude for all He’d done for me.

When I consider the habits and attitudes that characterized my teen years, I cringe. God had replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh, yet I still had a long way to go when it came to looking like Jesus.

Gains and Losses

God blessed me with a mother who embraced and embodied her faith and was my prayer warrior. He also gave me a godly husband, grounded in sound theology and more mature in character, to help me grow in the faith. God brought me to Georgia nearly 34 years ago, where I came under Susan Hunt’s sound teaching on Biblical womanhood. Each of these people and relationships was key to my spiritual transformation.

Equally important are the hardships and losses God providentially placed in my life:

• God called my husband, Ray, Home on April 19, 1997, leaving me a widow with two elementary-aged daughters to raise.
• Years later, after my daughters were grown and on their own, my 30-year career ended when my position was eliminated.
• More recently, my parents have gone to be with the Lord.

To borrow a phrase from a friend’s husband, each of those losses further unbolted me from my love affair with the world, transforming me from a woman too driven by immediate circumstances into one who embraces an eternal perspective (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Those hardships have also drawn me closer to God and deepened my awareness of His faithfulness and enduring love.

Whose Strength?

As I’ve persevered through challenging times, various people have said, “You’re so strong. How do you keep going?” My reply? “It’s not my strength!” If God’s power had not been made perfect in my weakness, I would have crumbled long ago (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace is sufficient, and He’s never forsaken me.

Sometimes I wonder if Ray would recognize me if he came back, not so much because of the wrinkles and other effects of physical aging, but because of the changes God has brought about through the power of His Spirit at work within me. Would Ray see a gentler, quieter spirit, more patience, peace, and selflessness than when he last saw me?

I think he would. Ray always thought more highly of me than I did of myself. During premarital counseling, we filled out various forms, including one that asked us to list the top five strengths we saw in our future spouse. Ray’s list included, “She’s serious about her faith.” He saw the potential and what I could become in time as the master Potter shaped and molded me (Isaiah 64:8), and he was willing to marry me, even though I had plenty of flaws.

Mighty Makeover

Even more significantly, God knows who He created me to be and has been patiently transforming me into the image of His Son. Sometimes, especially during times of great loss, it’s felt like He was using a sledgehammer. At other times, it’s been more like fine-grained sandpaper and a polishing cloth. Regardless of His method, His commitment has never wavered.

God knew every sin and flaw in me, yet He chose me before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), sent His precious Son to die for me (John 3:16), and has promised to complete the good work He began in me when He calls me Home (Philippians 1:6). That’s true for every one of His children.

All of us are at different stages of transformation, and God will use diverse means to bring about the desired changes. We can be confident He will do so, because those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).

We are being transformed from one degree of glory to another. We will be like Jesus when our faith becomes sight and we see Him as He is (1 Corinthians 13:12).

To God be the glory!