Do I Really Want Transformation?

A few years ago, it seemed that nearly every church event I attended had the words "transformational" or "transformative" in it. Transformative Worship. Transformational Preaching. It seemed like every church wanted "transformation" in our lives and world.

Now I wonder if I really want that. Since we are in the Easter season, with butterfly imagery all around, I wonder if I truly want transformation. Butterflies serve as an image of transformation, moving from a caterpillar that eats and eats and eats into a chrysalis where it is - hey presto! - transformed into a shimmering butterfly.

Who wants to be a caterpillar? Do you ever see people with tee-shirts proclaiming "Caterpillars for Christ" or ever hear a sermon on Caterpillar Spirituality? We keep thinking we want transformation from our plodding, earth-bound caterpillar life to some kind of flight in soaring spiritual awakening.

I wonder.

I keep learning about transformation. Transformation is hard. Transformation takes a huge toll on a creature. After all, a monarch caterpillar has to find a safe place to make its "J" form and then encase itself in a chrysalis for what must seem to be an ending. Then the DNA of the caterpillar has encoded a way of transforming the whole creature  into a gelatinous goo where every molecule gets remade in the chrysalis into a butterfly. A butterfly is one stage in the life cycle of a creature in order to reproduce, but we often treat it as if it were the whole point. Butterflies are clearly amazing. But caterpillars are pretty cool, too. The process can mostly teach us that transformation is hard!

I see that as I try to make changes in my life. I want transformation, but I really don't want to go through the gelatinous-goo-undoing process that the caterpillar experiences in a dark and uncertain chrysalis. I would rather move directly from caterpillar to butterfly in a gradual series of measurable steps. But, honestly, I keep learning that transformation does not happen apart from some sort of undoing.

I believe that love is the DNA code which makes transformation possible. I do not understand it all, but I wonder at it. So yes, I want transformation. And yes, that is what I believe faith really is.