Our transformation

I do not remember the transformation process for the different items Daddy pulled into our yard, but “transformation” is the perfect word to describe the magic he worked. One day, he drove an old yellow school bus into the yard, and over the next few days, we heard the constant buzzing of a skilsaw. The rhythm of the hammer echoed as he nailed each perfectly cut board into place. He wasn’t alone in his endeavors; Mom was close by, doing her share of the work. Ultimately, the old bus would receive a fresh coat of forest green paint and become a first-class motor home, perfect for future family camping trips.
It was the same way with the boat that carried the family over the waves of the Gulf of Mexico to the flats, where the fish were always biting. One day, he towed in the fiberglass hull of a boat and parked it in the backyard. In the evenings, he and Mom worked tirelessly on the new project. Bench seats, a captain’s chair, and two cots underneath the bow were added. Once the cosmetics were finished, Dad began to work on the mechanics to make it seaworthy. When he started painting (a seafoam green this time), we knew the project was nearing completion.
I cannot begin to tell you how many things sold as junk were transformed under Daddy’s skill. Dad had a way of seeing the bigger picture and the possibilities in the most fragmented pieces. He was never one to scrap a project; he had a knack for seeing it through. Somehow, he could see what the rest of the world could not. What he saw became a labor of love, and we waited eagerly for the finished product.
In the same way, the Heavenly Father eagerly anticipates the final outcome of our lives. The world often makes us feel like we are worthless and useless, but to our Lord, we are His creation, intended for good works in Christ (Ephesians 2:10). Through Christ, our story has a different ending, even if we are affected by the challenges of this world. We were created in the image of our Father, and he desires to restore that image.
C.S. Lewis once said, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Looking at the life of the Apostle Paul, we realize that we are not without hope. We just need a new ending. The Apostle Paul was known as Saul the Tyrant before his transformation. He persecuted the church, witnessed the stoning of Stephen, and was on his way to arrest others who believed in Jesus’ resurrection. However, on the road to Damascus, the Lord called him to a new purpose (Acts 7-9). Even though Paul’s past could not be altered, his conversion to faith through love changed his ending.
Often in life, we will struggle. However, the transformative power of love and faith is at work in us. Just as the old bus and boat were shaped into something beautiful and purposeful, we, too, are being molded by the hands of a great craftsman.
We are not discarded or worthless but rather cherished and guided by the loving hands of our Creator. We all have a unique purpose waiting to unfold. We only need to learn to trust the process and witness the beauty of our transformation in the hands of our Father.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.