The Ugly Duckling
Becomes a Beautiful Swan
The Phoenix rises from the
ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The Ugly Duckling
becomes a beautiful swan. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a
prince. The Cowardly Lion gets his courage, the Scarecrow his brains, and the
Tin Woodman a new heart.
They are all transformed into the very thing they
never thought they could be.
Why are we enchanted by tales of transformation?
I
can't think of a movie or novel or fairy tale that doesn't somehow turn on
this.
Why is it an essential part of any great story?
Because it is the secret
to Christianity, and Christianity is the secret to the universe. "You must
be born again" (John 3:7). You must be transformed.
Keeping the Law,
following the rules, polishing up your manners - none of that will do.
"What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different
people" (Gal. 6:15).
Is this not the message of the Gospel? Zacchaeus the
trickster becomes Zacchaeus the Honest One. Mary the whore becomes Mary the
Last of the Truly Faithful. Paul the self-righteous murderer becomes Paul the
Humble Apostle.
Perhaps we have changed a bit in what we believe and how we act.
We confess the creeds now, and we've gotten our temper under control . . . for
the most part. But "transformed" seems a bit too much to claim.
How
about "forgiven and on our way"? That's how most Christians would
describe what's happened to them. It's partly true . . . and partly untrue,
and the part that's untrue is what's killing us.
We've been told that even
though we have placed our hope in Christ, even though we have become his
followers, our hearts are still desperately wicked.
And of course, so
long as we believe that our hearts remain untouched, unchanged, we will pretty
much live untouched and unchanged. For our heart is the wellspring of life
within us.
(Waking the Dead , 56-57)
This truth has changed my life!
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