God of the Small Things

Last night, at life group, we talked about the fifth chapter of Dick Staub's book The Culturally-Savvy Christian. I blogged through this book at the end of last year, as it very profoundly impacted me--especially this chapter, which is called "God's Transforming Presence".

In my blog entry on that chapter, I wrote:

The first thing that was ever true of you is that you were created in God’s image. Your being created in the image of God predates, and runs deeper, than your sin. This is why God is committed to your restoration, not your destruction. He wants to make you again what he made you before; and we know what that looks like because he sent his son into the world to show us not simply himself, but also ourselves.

Jesus is the only human to ever perfectly bear the image of God. In him, we see who we were always meant to be. The Bible says, in Romans, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Don't get distracted by the words "foreknew" and "predestined" (as a good Arminian, I'm trying not to). The point is that God's purpose for you is to be conformed to the image of Jesus. That is, God is at work in you, transforming you into the image of the one who perfectly bore the image of God.

All the crap in your life, all the stupid decisions you make and all the ridiculous things you say and do happen because you let something less true of you define you. You are not defined by your sin; you are defined by the God in whose image you are made and who is committed to restoring that image in you, transforming you to become who he originally intended you to be.

God is with you, if you place your eternal hope in Jesus Christ. God wants to transform you, and he invites you to participate in your own transformation. I believe that this happens, not in the big areas of life, but in the small ones.

• You come home from work and turn on the TV. But maybe, instead, you stop and ask God what you should do, and he tells you to talk to your spouse, or open your Bible, or play with your kids. And you do that.
• Somebody cuts you off on the road and you curse them out and give them the one-fingered salute. But maybe, instead, you assume the best--that they genuinely didn't see you. Maybe you pray for them.
• You're working on a project that you can't fix. There's one thing that you just can't figure out, so you throw it against the wall and curse until the air is blue. But maybe, instead, you take a deep breath and ask God to give you patience and wisdom.

This list could be infinitely long. But it's in these small areas where our character is most clearly demonstrated and where we are most lastingly transformed. This is where we learn patience, selflessness, humility, and how to love well. If we can't beat the small things, we'll never accomplish the big things. Where do you need to experience God's transforming presence today? He's there, with you, waiting on you to stop fighting against him and give him enough space to work a true miracle.