Written by Paul L. Escamilla

Be transformed by the renewal of your minds . . . We all know the injunction that begins the 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. And we’ve learned that the Greek word translated as “transformed” has a direct etymological connection with metamorphosis. Essentially the apostle is saying, “Be metamorphosed—turned from caterpillar to butterfly—by the renewal of your minds.”

But we’re also profoundly aware that such transformation is not simply a matter of self-determination, as if personal resolve alone could move us to wholeness in our faith journey. Just a few chapters back Paul disabused us of any such notions: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do the thing I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). We can’t transform ourselves any more than we can sit in our own laps.

September is National Recovery Month, bringing to mind the countless circles formed during off hours in church basements and Sunday school classrooms in which participants acknowledge what we all know to be true—that good intentions do not a recovery make. “Be transformed” rings hollow to an addict who has attempted time and again to make inner change happen of their own accord. They are powerless over addiction. So are you and I.

This is where the Greek text gifts us with a nuance that is the difference between night and daylight. Paul’s directive to metamorphousthe has more of a sense of “be being transformed,” or "yield yourselves to the transforming work of grace in you.” Romans 7 has kept Romans 12 sober—grounded in the deep understanding that new creation happens both from the inside out and from the outside in. We can all testify to the fact that no small measure of grit, gumption, accountability, and discipline are involved in growing toward wholeness, but we also live by this encompassing assurance: We are saved by grace alone.

Later this month I will be partnering with Rev. Sheri Clifton, a Río Texas Conference colleague, to lead The Art of WellBeing, a six-session online course for clergy exploring the mysteries and means of moving toward wholeness in personal and vocational life. We will explore creativity, receptivity, vocational renewal, body care, cultivating our social matrix of friendship and support, and crafting a rule or rhythm of life—all of which are transformative pathways to balance, joy, and wellbeing. We describe the course, which was created by Vicki Johnson, as “an invitation to flourish” through the work of grace and the readiness to practice its dance steps.

If you are clergy seeking such an opportunity for reflection and action among peers, consider this your invitation to be being transformed; that is to say, your invitation to flourish.

The Art of WellBeing online course

Six group sessions: September 26; October 10 and 24; November 7 and 21; December 5
Course fee: $495
Click here to register