Transformed for the benefit of others
This week we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration as we hear Jesus journey to a high mountain with Peter and James and John.
Mountain top experiences are those moments of clarity that help reveal who we are, who we have been or who we are called to become.
The emotion attached to these experiences can lift our spirits, heighten our senses and give us excitement and encouragement about what is yet to come.
Because these emotions are so powerful and these experiences are so meaningful we can easily be tempted to stay in those moments, to cling to the feelings or to try and relive or recreate what we’ve experienced.
When Peter saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain, he wanted to stay in that moment to build tents and just dwell in the awesomeness of the experience.
But here’s the problem, mountain top experiences are not the main thing and they are not the end goal. You cannot be sustained long term in the isolation and rarefied air of a mountain top.
They can be a big part of our transformation but we are transformed to go back down the mountain to the reality of everyday life where breathing might be easier but everything else can look so much harder.
We are not designed to stay as we are, even when where we are is feeling really amazing.
God has created us to transform, to change, to grow, to deal with the big and hard stuff and not to hide ourselves away from it.
We are transformed to be able to help others wrestle with the big and hard stuff, to encourage them to make the trip up the mountain and be with them as they come back down to reality.
Transformation is not an individual pursuit, we are transformed together for more than our own benefit we are transformed for the benefit of others.
Have a great week