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Do you like the way you look? Are you satisfied with the color of your hair, the shape of your nose, and the color of your eyes? You may have seen ABC’s "Extreme Makeover." In the span of about six weeks a team of plastic surgeons, dentists, hair stylists, and clothing consultants transform a rather plain looking person into an attractive hunk or fox. Here is just one example. A picture of Cynthia is projected on the wall. This is her before picture. And this is her after picture. Pretty dramatic change, don’t you think? Here is John before his makeover. This is John afterwards. To be sure many of these makeovers are performed on people who have legitimate needs. Some have been ridiculed their entire lives because of a crooked nose. Others have given so much to their families that they have neglected their own health and beauty. Improving physical beauty can help us feel good about ourselves on the inside. Do you remember how a new hairdo or a special jacket made you feel? Sometimes new names help people’s self-esteem. I’m not sure if movie stars change their names anymore, but they used to. Issur Danielovitch Densky didn’t like the image his name projected so he changed it to Kirk Douglas. In the same way, Frances Gum transfigured herself and her image into Judy Garland. Archibald Leach became Cary Grant. And would you have paid money to see Marion Morrison in the movies? Maybe, but Marion didn't take that chance and became John Wayne. Changing names was a part of the creation of a new image for them. Do you like your name and the image it conveys? What about your spiritual self-image? Do you ever think about who you are as a spiritual child of God? Do you like the spiritual person you are becoming? Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him to a mountaintop to focus on their identities as God’s people. While Jesus was in prayer he was given a makeover in the mountains! It wasn’t plastic surgery or Botox, but the glory of God that changed Jesus’ face. His clothes, dirty and sweaty from the mountain hike, became dazzling white. We’re not sure if Jesus wanted this makeover but he got one. And it wasn’t about changing his clothes or his face. This makeover was about strengthening Jesus for his journey to Jerusalem and the cross. It was a moment of re-creation. It was a special time for his Father to be with His Son. The disciples heard a voice from a cloud say, "This is my Son, my Beloved; listen to him!" Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, the first day in Lent. Lent is a 40-day period of preparation before Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. It is a time to walk with Jesus his journey to the cross. It is a time to look inside to the heart and examine our thoughts and motives. It is a time for a spiritual makeover. Here’s an example of the kind of makeover God wants to do in our lives. An executive named Mike was surly and offensive to everyone, even mouthing off to his CEO. But he was delivering results, and making more than $4 million a year. According to Fast Company magazine (October 2003), executive coach Marshall Goldsmith had a tough job to perform, since he couldn’t challenge Mike’s performance. Instead, he sat Mike down and said, "I can’t help you make more money. You’re already making a lot. But let’s talk about your ego. How do you treat people at home?" Mike insisted that he was totally different outside the office — "a pussycat." They called his wife, and when she finally stopped laughing at her husband’s statement, she concurred that Mike was a jerk at home, too. Then he got his two kids on the line, and they agreed with their mother. We must admit that change doesn’t always come that quickly. Saying you’re going to live differently doesn’t mean it will happen. But during this Lenten period I want to encourage you to spend some time in front of your mirror. Not the mirror that reflects your flesh and hair, but the one where you can see your soul, your spirit, your character. Perhaps we need a spiritual coach or close friend to be a mirror for us, people who can tell us in love where we need to grow and be transformed. This is what Lent is about. It’s not about giving up candy or soda pop. It’s about giving up whatever stands in the way of our spiritual makeover. It’s about being transformed from the inside out. It’s about walking with Jesus to the pain and agony of the cross. If I were to ask you right now: What behavior, what attitude in your life needs to be transformed? Would you be able to answer? Would your answer be one of these? Yeah, I need to stop thinking about my own pleasure and comfort so much. I need to face my addictions to alcohol or pornography. I need to get some treatment for my explosive anger. Lent can be a difficult, but necessary time to get a spiritual makeover. There is no single pill or simple prayer that will change us. There is this journey with Jesus to the mountains and the valleys with the dirt and the sweat and the burning lungs that lie before us. It is a journey that is worth every step as long when we keep the vision of transformation in mind. Recently I watched the movie, "Pearl Harbor." Ben Affleck is a young pilot who was shot down in Europe. Having survived his ordeal he returned many months later to discover his girl had fallen in love with his best friend. She had thought he was dead. In an anguished scene he said to her, "You were the only reason I stayed alive. The hope of seeing you kept me going." When we take the time this Lent to consider the makeover God wants to do in our lives we need a vision, a mental picture of what we can be. Perhaps it is a vision of being a loving and romantic spouse. Maybe the makeover is about a more pure thought life. Maybe it’s about trusting God and not worrying so much. Take some time to pray about your spiritual makeover. Ask God to reveal to you what needs changing in your life. I’m pretty sure you’ll get an answer. If not, then ask your family or friends. They’ll tell you! Do you remember the before and after pictures of Cynthia? A resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Cynthia is a mother of three who was born with Congenital Nerve Deafness, a condition that forced her to live with severe hearing loss. She has compensated for it by becoming a master lip reader. As Cynthia has gotten older, her sight has also deteriorated, leaving her ability to communicate seriously impaired. In hopes of changing these afflictions, not only was Cynthia given a makeover but also a miracle: she became the first person in the U.S. to receive Widex Diva hearing aids, a breakthrough digital hearing device. Cynthia’s makeover has made a huge positive difference in her life. The spiritual makeover God wants to do in your life will make a huge difference for you. The story is told of a little boy who went to the town square every day to watch a sculptor chip away at a massive block of stone. He was intrigued by the sculptor’s different chisels and hammers. After many days the boy finally recognized that it was a lion. He walked up to the sculptor, tugged on his coat, and asked, "Mister, how did you know there was a lion in this block of stone?" Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer God knows that there is a lion deep inside our hearts. There is a piece of beautiful art within our souls. God’s job is to be the Master Sculptor to transform us from blocks of stone into magnificent works of art. Our job is to put ourselves on the work platform where the chiseling can happen. Our job is to let go of the unnecessary pieces of stone when God chips them away. Lent is upon us. Let the makeovers begin! |
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02.22.04 - Makeover in the Mountains (Luke 9:28-36)
