Conform

And we know that for those who love God 

all things work together for good, 

for those who are called according to his purpose. 

For 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 8:28-29 

What Romans 8:28-29 says to me is that all of the hard, amazing, beautiful, sad, impossibly devastating things in our lives are working together to make us more like Jesus. We are being conformed to His image. Yet another reason the bible gives us for our pain being filled with purpose. Thank God...really, thank You God...I can't imagine looking at the pain in the world--in my life--and thinking, this is all there is. 

I looked up the definition of conform (because I'm me) at Merriam-Webster and came across this: 

Conform, 

with its prefix con-, "with" or "together"

means basically 

"to adopt the form of those around you."

He allows my son to shake and his body stay unhealed in many ways so that HIS MOTHER can become more like Jesus. 

He gave me a perfect, delayed child and won't give me answers as to why so that HER MOTHER can become more like Jesus. 

He saw me commit myself to a man and enter into a marriage that is sometimes hard (which is exacerbated by the things above) so that THIS WIFE can become more like Jesus.  

He is using depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder in my body to make me more like Jesus. 

He sees our bank account and the bills spread before us on the dining room table and He cheers us on as they become another manner in which we lay down our fears and become more like Jesus. 

And 

He sits with you in your grief and doesn't take it away so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He catches your tears as you wait for a child that you so desperately want to come home so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He placed you into a messy family so that YOU can become more like Jesus.  (This may be a church family). 

He gave you a child with oppositional defiant disorder so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He walks with you in your instability so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He helps you gain the strength to LEAVE an unsafe marriage so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He gives you the strength to STAY in a strenuous marriage so that YOU can become more like Jesus. 

He sees the weariness in your eyes and He says, I'm not going anywhere, even when everyone else has run away. I will never leave you nor will I abandon you. You are so precious to me and while I hate sin and pain, I WILL USE IT TO MAKE YOU MORE LIKE ME.

He uses what He hates to accomplish what He loves.  

If you've ever had a part in raising a child, you understand this right? I hate to watch as my daughter is punished and doesn't get to have the fun her siblings are having. However, I am raising a woman and this will help mold her into who she is meant to be. For the good of herself and the rest of the world. The same thing applies to these anti-seizure medications.  I abhor watching the side effects run through his little body BUT I know that they are working in his body for a greater good.  So while I hate these medications, I can use them for a future good and I can do it in peace.  

The things mentioned above are only the hard things.  God uses things like these along with all of the good and miraculous things you encounter along the way to form you into a visible image of an invisible God. YOU. Isn't that just the most miraculous thing of all? You aren't Jesus, but you'll look like Him, smell like Him, lead to Him. You will be His image bearer, an ambassador.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20

Everything, EVERY THING on this earth is used to point to Him if you'll let it. So don't blame Him for the bad and take credit for the good. All of the good, all of the bad, all of the pain, all of the disability, all of the joy, all of the healing... All of those things can be like giant neon arrows pointing to a God that is all lit up in the night sky.  

When others are stumbling around in a dark wilderness, a light will suddenly appear above them and illuminate everything that was once dark around them. 

It helps me understand why healing doesn't happen the way we want it to happen more often.  It's because everything in this life points to Him anyway, so who cares which way He uses to illuminate Himself. If my pain, questions, insecurity and trials point others to the God who created and loves us all--the God who is crafting us into versions of ourselves far better than what we could accomplish on our own--then SO BE IT.  

Let us not ask "why?" as often as we ask "how?" Instead of WHY am I going through this and WHY won't you stop it?...change it to HOW am I becoming more like You in this, Lord? SHOW ME! Strengthen me in the vision! May that knowledge sustain me in everything I face on this earth until I am taken home! Because we are not home.  Our whole entire life here on this earth is just the title page to a MUCH bigger story.  As C.S. Lewis so beautifully put it: 

Conform us to YOUR image in these trials! The purpose of purpose is people and the purpose of trials is YOU. May we never be consumed by trials of many kinds, may we only be consumed by you. 

Come what may, I'm counting it all joy that He chooses to allow me to be tested not because he's sadistic but SO THAT I may be like Him...perfect, complete, lacking nothing.  I pray today that you let this knowledge bleed into your very soul. Be at peace. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, 

when you meet trials of various kinds, 

for you know that the testing of your faith 

produces steadfastness.  

And let steadfastness have its full effect, 

that you may be perfect and complete, 

lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

I'm going to end this with the last part of Romans8:29: the firstborn among many brothers. 

Siblings. How am I just now seeing this? We are conformed to His image in order to show Jesus to other people, but also for Jesus' sake. In order for Him to have communication and connection with siblings.  Sometimes I don't mean to, but I feel so disconnected from who God is.  He seems so far above me that He becomes unreachable. Until I read things like this.  He came to earth to be the firstborn among many siblings.  That is so beautiful. 


Now, listen to this song: Transfiguration - Hillsong Worship

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