Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. – Exodus 23:30.
For those of us who have been through abuse and trauma, transformation is the God-ordained and designed process of restoration. The transformation from a life lived out of trauma and consumingly focused on self-survival, to a life lived out in freedom and identity in Christ takes time. You are going to look different, feel different, think different, behave different, and relate different. Losing your old life to gain new life takes time. For example…
There may be generations worth of dysfunctional impact that have to be overcome. That takes time.
There are visits to and phone calls with counselors and doctors. That takes time
There is grieving, crying, screaming, thrashing, and anger to do. That takes time. (Janet Yassen, a Boston-area social worker who leads groups for female survivors, talks of the necessity of at least "fifteen hundred hours of crying" to get over the hurts.)
There is pondering, meditating, considering and journaling to do. That takes time.
There is forgiveness work and making amends. That takes time.
There is literal and figurative territory to take back. That takes time.
There are boundaries to learn and to set. That takes time.
There is intimacy and trust to rebuild with God and others. That takes time.
There is rest and recovery required from the very process of transformation. That takes time.
Paul wrote about transformation in one of his letters to the Corinthians (2 Cor 3:18). "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 by the Spirit of the Lord." Many key transformation principles are housed in that Verse.
1. We all. We are all being transformed into and by something. God’s desire is for us to be transformed into His image.
2. Unveiled face. Transformation requires us to come before God without masks of any kinds. We are to come before Him in full transparency.
3. Beholding. To a large degree we become like what we behold, what we gaze at that captures our hears. God is calling us to gaze upon His glory and to reflect that beauty back to the world.
4. From glory to glory. If it ever seems like you go through waves of transformational experiences, it's because you do; by design. The waves are the episodic experiences, learnings, repentances, insights, and personal revivals that move us from glory to glory; glory waves.
5. By the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit, our Wonderful Counselor, is our transformation guide. In yielded cooperation with our Guide, we are transformed into His image, from glory to glory.
God gave us another picture of this transformational journey in the Israelites being delivered from their traumas of slavery in Egypt. In Exodus (Ex 23:30) God tells His people, "Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land."
God is teaching us that He is driving out the internal and external enemies formed against us in our personal battles with the world system. His deliverance guarantees our success (Is 54:17). The deliverance and transformation takes place "little by little" until we are strong enough to appropriate our own new freedoms. His implicit warning is that any pace or path outside of His is dangerous because it leaves us vulnerable to attacks of the enemy.
We can only endure and consolidate so much transformation at one time. We can only successfully integrate, steward, and own so much freedom at a time. We need it incrementally; in different areas of our lives and in different doses.
Whatever it is that caused damage and dysfunction, didn’t get that way overnight. It took time to set in and it takes time to set out. It takes time to learn to steward the new you and the new territories and freedoms in your own mind and soul. It takes time because it is supposed to. It is a precious process of life, because God is working in it to detach you from what you should be detached from, and attach you to Him, in full intimacy and trust. Transformation takes time!
PRAYER
Abba Father. Please give me Your grace of patient endurance for my transformation and sanctification. Help me to journey the timeline with Your perfect pace and path. Help me to be merciful and patient with others who are on their own unique journeys through transformation. Amen in The Powerful Name of Jesus Christ.
RESOURCES
1. Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You (Henry Cloud)
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