When was the last time you heard a really great, inspiring testimony? Hopefully you can remember without too much difficulty, and as you think about the story you heard, wasn’t it thrilling to share in that person’s experience of change, of redemption? For me, the joy of hearing another’s testimony is that it reminds me of the reality of Christ’s life within us, permeating our lives and transforming us, literally shaping us into his likeness.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV), Paul wrote about this experience. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The Message says here, “And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.”

A great thinker and writer about Christian spirituality, Dallas Willard, said this about spiritual formation when he spoke at the inaugural Pastor’s Convention in early 2001.
Spiritual formation is shaping the inner person in such a way that the words and deeds of Christ naturally flow from us. It is the inward transformation of the self that makes it easy and natural to do the things that Jesus said. Christian spiritual formation is the process. What we call spiritual formation in Christian circles now, is really spiritual transformation. Formation has already happened and that is a major part of the problem. We have already been formed spiritually and we need to be transformed. It is holistic; it applies to all of us. It is not just a matter of changing the center part. It is a matter of the transformation of the self so that now your body is going to be set to do righteousness, as previously it was set to do what was wrong.

In one of those serendipitous moments that can happens when you surf the Internet, I came across something I had never seen before, called “Cardboard Testimonies”. The woman writing said that when her pastor announced that the following Sunday, there would be testimonies from thirty people, she knew she’d better bring a snack and comfortable pillow to church! But what happened was not at all what she expected. Rather than explaining the experience to you, why not watch it for yourself?

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As you watched these testimonies, what did it make you think….about God’s grace….about your own life…about what your own cardboard testimony would say? For me, it was particularly compelling to see those whose testimonies said they were still waiting for their miracle of transformation, because they knew it was something only God could give. Try watching the video again with one or two others, or show it to your small group and ask these questions. Maybe you will be inspired to take it to your congregation as something to try doing yourselves.

Whatever happens, you can be confident that the life of Christ within you is transforming you into His image, as you learn complete dependence on Him, so that we increasingly reflect his character. Created in the image of God, yet marred by sin, we can have that image restored in us….“our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.”