The Four Levels of Spiritual Change

ACT 3.

A mirror.

Scene 1: Morning.

The man walks up to the darkened mirror, and looks at himself.
A little girl comes out of no-where, slaps him in the face,
and walks through the mirror.
After a while, Alice re-emerges from the mirror, dressed for war.

Taken from James One: Twenty-Four, September 10, 1994.

There are four levels of true spiritual change in an individual’s life.

First, there are the ‘normal’ evolutionary changes in someone’s life: an increase in one’s height; a lowering of the voice when a boy is becoming a man; an increase in the size of your body.  There is also a change in the location of living—or a change of jobs—to seek new beginnings or explore different opportunities. This leads to temporary changes in one’s outlook, perspective and mood.

The second type of change is called a paradigm shift.  These are key seasons in life that cause us to move beyond the primary stage, that cause us to change the way we see life, the way we relate to others, our patterns of behavior and way of thinking.  This is your “enough is enough” moment, your threshold of your current being.  You recognize in your spirit a need for real change, to actually do the internal homework to make the needed changes happen. This is the real beginning of true change.  But we don’t want to stop here, for there are other realms of becoming, waiting in the wings.

Thirdly, there is the stage of transformation, an event or a process changes an individual in a remarkable way.  It is observed that when individuals undergo significant weight loss, their entire personalities are transformed.  It is partially because others now see them differently, so they now see themselves differently.  As a result, the individual acts differently, resulting in an increased confidence and openness to new opportunities.  Transformation is a new perspective on life bestowed to those willing to do the physical—and emotional homework involved. 

Finally, in transfiguration, a change so radical has taken place, those closest to you fail to recognize you at the revealing.  This is the unwritten Alice in Wonderland: Alice steps into the mirror– and enters not into Wonderland, but into a new Alice. You are transfigured both by your challenges and your determination to overcome them. Transfiguration is commanded in the Scriptures.  Transfiguration occurred in so many lives throughout Scripture, it becomes the very message of the Scriptures.

In the very center of the Scriptures (in fact, it’s right in the middle of the Bible), Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration and revealed His True Self, in full divinity. His disciples did not even know what to say. He had just revealed His true divinity, and His disciples were so speechless that they could only say, “Let us stay awhile.”  A short time later, Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples. This transfiguration can lead to rejection from those closest to you. But those closest to you who reject you, reject who you truly are. 

God will lead you in the path He would have you to go so that He can transfigure you.  In the process, you will change your very environment and even the world.