2 CORINTHIANS 3:17-18: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: What am I becoming in my life? What is my final destination? What is God doing in me day by day that I cannot see but will one day appear? This is a question that so many have asked and wondered. Paul speaks to this question in the closing verses of 2 Corinthians, chapter 3. John also spoke to this question in his first epistle.

I John 3:2-3: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” NKJV

John speaks of the final outcome of our lives. Yet, Paul speaks of the process. When I read this, I could not help thinking about the old Polaroid camera I had as a young boy. When I was in my teens, Polaroid cameras were the new thing that everyone was getting. For those who don’t even know what I am talking about, let me explain.

Before the onset of digital cameras with instant pictures, one would have to buy film, take 12-24 pictures, drop their film off at the photo lab, and in a few days pick up the pictures to see if any of them turned out. When you were on vacation, you didn’t just take a picture of everything; you chose your pictures carefully because you did not have an endless amount that you could take or afford.

Then came the Polaroid camera. The film was more expensive, but it was magical. You would load the film into the camera, take a picture, and the camera would eject a picture from the camera. That wasn’t the coolest part. When the picture came out of the camera, it was just a grey blur.

Yet, as you held it in your hand, it would begin to develop right before your very eyes!

At first, it was an outline of fuzzy shapes and figures. Then it began to develop some definition. Slowly, you could see facial features. Then the color would begin to come through, until you were standing there, instantly holding in your hand, the picture that normally would have taken you several days or more than a week to see!

It was magical!

Our growth in the Lord and our transformation by the Holy Spirit are much like these old Polaroid pictures. As we look in the mirror of our lives, it does not look very clear. We know that we are supposed to become like Jesus Christ, but the picture looks fuzzy, and we can’t make out the progress that we think we should be experiencing. At times, we doubt if we are growing and if we will ever become like Jesus!

Yet, just like the Polaroid picture, if we keep looking, we begin to see His handiwork in our lives. The picture is still developing, but we see areas where we have changed and grown. We understand spiritual truth in areas where we were once confused. We find a new capacity to love and forgive others where we struggled with hurt and resentment. We carry a burden for the lost and find ourselves drawn to help others without even thinking about it.

The picture is developing!

God is faithful. We are being changed every moment of every day. One could translate it,

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image inch by inch, step by step, moment by moment, day by day, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

LIKE THE POLAROID PICTURE – WE ARE DEVELOPING!

And how can we be certain that this is true? It is because this is exactly what God promised us that He would do in our lives!

Romans 8:28-30: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” NKJV

So, when I get discouraged, when it feels like nothing is changing in my life, I need to remember the Polaroid picture and the Promises of God! I have not arrived. I am not already perfect. I have a long way to go. But I am being changed each and every day. God is using everything in my life to mold me into the image of His Son. And when that picture fully develops…

I will see Jesus in me!

As John writes in his first epistle, “…but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” What a wonderful promise! What a blessed hope! What a tremendous encouragement to start my day!

Father, make it so, in Jesus’ Name!