The Apostle Paul said, “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As a follower of Christ, how do I transform my mind? What does the process look like? Is it a one-time experience or a lifetime process? If we were honest with ourselves, most of us would agree that it’s a lifetime process. The challenge lies in how do we “transform” our minds? The Cambridge dictionary defines the “transform” as “to change completely the appearance of character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved.” The Greek word for “transform” is “metamorphoō” which comes from two words “meta” meaning “change” and “morphe” meaning “form.” Otherwise, it means “to change into another form.” …show more content…
As children, many of us learn about the wondrous process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. But what does that radical transformation entail? How does a caterpillar rearrange itself into a butterfly? The transformation starts from inside. Once again, Paul hits the nail on the head when he said, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” It comes down to what is inside our minds. As a caterpillar creates a cocoon around itself, followers of Christ need to wrap around themselves the Word of God. Once the cocoon has been completed, the caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. The Word of God says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The same concept applies in the life of a follower of Christ. Our wants, our needs, our desires should dissolve and be replaced with His wants, His needs and His desires. Unless a caterpillar is willing to make this ultimate sacrifice, it will not experience the splendor of becoming a butterfly nor the ability to fly. If we, as followers of Christ, are not willing to sacrifice ourselves to Him, we will never experience …show more content…
It’s interesting to know that the caterpillar already has everything it needs to become a butterfly before going into the cocoon. They have imaginal discs for each of the adult body parts it will need as a mature butterfly – discs for its eyes, for its wings, its legs and so on. These discs are already contained with the body of the caterpillar. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we already have everything we need to transform our minds. In the beginning, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God has given us, as followers, everything we need to transform our minds. Peter said, “His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue.” Looking outside of the Word of God or outside of the Holy Spirit, will not give us what we need to become more like Christ. Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” Paul knew the only way to become more like Christ is through sacrifice. Sacrificing will always cause us to put Christ first in our lives. Before we say anything, ask “would Jesus say this?” Before we watch something, ask “would Jesus watch this?” Before we respond to someone being mean to us, ask “how would Jesus respond to them?” Transformation is a process and every day we need
… by that union of change and performance which we call Rhythm” (39). If you have the love of God in your heart, you will have a love for humans and your actions will change. Everything about a person will change once the love of God is in them, one will automatically want to change for the better for God. John 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Love and power comes when Christ is received. God defeated darkness a long time ago when he gave up
Both Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” shows a relationship between siblings and parents. The siblings in “Everyday Use”, Maggie and Dee, have a strained relationship because of their difference and that does not change throughout the story. The siblings in “The Metamorphosis”, Gregor and Grete, have a loving relationship in the beginning that does however turn sour throughout the story. Mama in “Everyday Use” loves her daughter’s equally but has a closer relationship with Maggie. The parents in “The Metamorphosis” however turn abusive towards their son after his transformation and loving and caring towards Grete.
...ognizing wrong perceptions; experiencing something that changes opinions permanently; and last, but not least, developing new convictions, opinions, and perceptions. These are phases that we go through as Christ Followers as well. We are called to be dynamic so that people can see Christ alive in us. In order to do that, we must allow God and Christ to change our perception to match the reality to which He has called us. He accomplishes this through His Own ways, and we must remain malleable like clay in His hands. He is the potter, and we are called to trust Him. He always makes beautiful pots that abundantly hold the Spirit! The Author has created the grandest plot in the most mind-blowing tale of all time. The study question thus arises; are we willing to accept change and be the character He has designed for us to be? The answer is written clearly in our lives.
The Metamorphosis is a among Franz Kafka’s famous stories. The story is about a haunted man who changed into an insect. The author has written the story based on various theories such as Marxism, existentialist and religious views. It is also a reflection of a hostile world with major themes being abandonment, self-alienation, and troubles relationship. It reveals people’s struggles while in the modern society where one is neglected in the time of need (Franz 8). The cultural and social setting of the story helps in supporting the major themes of the story. In as much as the story is a dramatic fiction, it is necessary to explore the interior monologue style in order to inform the audience what the protagonist is thinking.
The person directly affected by the change, establishes the discord between body and identity in Metamorphosis, whereas in “Flesh of my Flesh”, it
Through the transformation of our life, Wright is showing that the life of a Christian is learned. He is showing what is learned is; life in Christ, Worship to the Father, and the daily walks.
Just as the author states for a church to develop new thinking and a new approach they have to be taught through interaction and experience. If their experience is not a favorable one and there is not a general spiritual and human consensus then the leader applying transformative theories to further develop and improve the church must reassess. Ultimately because humanism is involved in this process church leaders must also be resolved to the fact that not everyone 's perception will be the same, and therefore makes the transformative learning process a very arduous tool of
The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka both incorporate “irreal” elements throughout their works. These elements provide an alternative point of view where the lives of main characters are recreated and imagined as part of their surroundings. It’s almost as if the characters are watching their lives from an outside vantage point, rather than living in the moment, which makes it easier to cope with their difficult circumstances. These two works are complementary in establishing relationships, exposing internal conflicts, and escaping the reality that these characters yearn for in their lives.
This particular introduction, unlike most other works contains the climax to the story. This paper will show the importance of these introductory lines. “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed into a monstrous vermin.” This line greatly moves the plot, more so than any other line. It is the climax of the novel, and everything following it helps build the conclusion of the story. The juxtaposition of “unsettling” and “dreams” is ironic, as dreams are peaceful and never unsettling, only nightmares are unsettling. Gregor has transformed into a “monstrous vermin.” The remainder of the first paragraph gives details of exactly what the monstrous vermin is.
The feelings of loneliness and betrayal are feelings that we all feel one too many. Some have these feelings for a few simple days, and then those feelings soon pass. For others, however, this is a feeling that is felt for most of their lives. Our loneliness may make us feel alone, when our loneliness is actually common. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the topic of alienation is an ongoing theme from beginning to end. I have interest in this passage because it reveals the writers understanding of a feeling that we all get from time to time. This novella helps us relive these emotions with an understanding that we are not alone in our loneliness.
Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out many important details in its brevity. Richter did not include Kafka’s flaws and tendencies in his essay.
Warren opens this section called PURPOSE #3 You Were Created to Become Like Christ with Chapter 22: Created to Become like Christ teaching that God created us in His image. We are called to shine His image and light into the world. We are similar to God in that we are spiritual, intellectual and relational beings. All people are born with a moral conscious. Christ was sent to restore our image of God and to remind us of why and how we were created. Christ is our connection to God. He is our standard of how we try to grow closer toward becoming more like God. Understanding that we will never reach this destination does not mean that we don 't aspire toward that path. Character development, not personality alteration, is God 's ultimate goal
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (New International Version). Werdel, Dy-liacco, Ciarrochi, Wicks, & Breslford (2014) state that “religiosity and spirituality are multidimensional variables that incorporate cognitions, sentiments, and behaviors including both positive and negative aspects of an individual’s relationship with the Divine”. One’s spiritual journey is not likened to a one dimensional flat line, but a line that has peaks and valleys along the way. Majerus and Sandage (2010) believe that “maturity is a developmental and teleological theme in Christian spirituality and is described throughout Scripture”. To understand spiritual maturity one needs to look toward Scripture and to investigate what God has planned for His children. Spiritual maturity is a process with the end goal of becoming likened to the
Life is a never-ending metamorphosis. It is always changing, always transforming. Sometimes a change is followed by positive results, but on the darker side, a metamorphosis can lead to damage or suffering. But of course, the concept of metamorphosis can also be related into the wonderful yet unrealistic world of magic and sorcery. Metamorphosis can mean a rapid transformation from one object to another or a distinct or even degenerative change in appearance, personality, condition, or function. The concept of metamorphosis is commonly used in pieces of literature to describe an extreme change in character or form.
One can not grow into holiness, but he can only grow in it. Holiness consists of taking out the old and adding the new. “It will take a second work of grace, preceded by a whole-hearted consecration and as definite an act of faith as that which preceded [ones] conversion.”1