"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
- Romans 12:2
I journalled this verse over two pages, because there was so much meaning in it. For the first half of the verse, "do not conform", I drew a school of black fish to represent the world, then a golden fish swimming in the opposite direction to represent God's people. The picture had been in my mind for a while after chatting with friends who work at a conference centre who were thinking about a mural for the wall. They were talking about swimming against the flow, and it seemed to resonate somehow.
For the second half of the verse I drew a transformation, the simplest and most dramatic I could think of - the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Over the years I've heard amazing stories of people transformed after coming to know God - alcoholics suddenly not wanting to drink any more, drug addicts recovered, people finding a purpose in life, etc. My own transformation wasn't anything like as dramatic, but I hope I am a better, more Christ-like person because of my relationship with God.
This passage also reminds me of a study I once did on John 14:13 - "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The question was asked how can this be true when God doesn't answer some prayers. The answer is Romans 12:2 - if we transform our minds to think like God, then we will be asking for what God wants as well. If we don't, then we're only asking for what we want - in our name as it were - and that doesn't always fit in with God's plans.
The pages were inspired by week 13 of Rebekah R Jones' Bible art journalling challenge.
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