Hope for Living: God’s Spirit helps us see hope, worth

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By Russel Jarvis

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

—1 Corinthians 3:17-18

Transformation. Change for the better. Renewal. Freedom. The world needs it. I need it. Programs offer it. Politicians promise it. Preachers proclaim it. We pray for it. We hope for it.

The day came when Moses needed it. The original fervor of his call to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt had been withered by circumstances into a hot mess.

He prays, “You told me to lead this people. But I can’t go another step unless You show me Your glory.” Compassionately, the Lord perches him in a cleft in a rock (a safe place) where His worn-out son witnesses a divine parade. Moses sees God’s “goodness,” and it is enough to reinvigorate him for the rest of his life’s work (Exodus 33:12-23).

Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Mark 6:22-23).

What enters our eyes transforms us or deforms us. Those who recover from addiction, reclaim their mental and physical health, reconcile with their families, and discover inner and lasting peace will say they were able to do so because the eyes of their hearts became full of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

They know that a fulfilling life does not consist in merely getting away from a past that harmed and haunts them. They must see something that is worth all the effort it will take to leave awful days behind and press forward to new ways of being.

We are designed to spiritually outgrow the need for the survival tactics we thought once served us. The veils of defensiveness, negativity and judgment are understandable protections against this harsh world. When the Spirit of the Lord is near, these become unnecessary and get in the way of positive change.

When we look in God’s mirror, the Spirit draws our attention to the difference He is making. See that smile when there used to be a frown? See those shoulders that once were so stooped? See those feet that used to drag along, now running and even dancing? See those eyes that once looked for faults in others, now spotting goodness and mercy everywhere?

Like any good trainer, the Spirit of the Lord knows how fast to pace our transformation. Like an expert captain, He doesn’t wildly spin the wheel, but rather turns the great ship of our lives a degree at a time until we find ourselves in happier seas.

Fix your eyes upon the goodness of the One who keeps showing us His glory until the work in us is complete (Philippians 1:6).