God has a mighty, awesome, wonderful transformation in mind for you. But letting God transform you isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Saint Thais of Egypt knew how difficult it can be to let God transform you, but also how surrendering to transformation changes everything.

Thais didn’t have the best reputation around town—she was known for her work as a courtesan and all the sins associated with that lifestyle. A monk named Serapion heard about her situation and decided to pay her a visit, not to win her favor, but to convert her heart. He encouraged Thais and inspired her to let God transform her life. Thais then spent three years in a small cell, praying and doing penance for transformation. She emerged as a new woman, a Christian, a saint.

Be honest. Do you want God to completely overhaul your life and totally transform you? The truth is, God will not snap His fingers and bring about the type of transformation we are talking about. He desires a dynamic collaboration with each of us. God wants us to do our part.

So, no, we don’t necessarily want our lives transformed. Sure, we want some tweaking, but not transformation. This desire for tweaking is selective and selfish, while transformation is total

and selfless. Avoiding transformation has a very real impact on our spirituality. Once we abandon the transformation that is the Christian life, our focus falls on tweaking; our spirituality becomes mediocre and very self-centered. 

Then we start praying for tweaking: Dear God, please tweak this…and please tweak that…and tweak my spouse…and tweak my spouse again because it didn’t take the first time…and tweak my kids…and tweak my boss…and tweak our pastor…and tweak the politicians…

We pray for tweaking—and then we wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers. The reason is simple: God is not in the business of tweaking. He’s in the business of transformation.

Most of us have never prayed a prayer of transformation—not even once in our lives. So let’s pray one now. Pray this prayer and amazing things will happen in your life:

Loving Father,

Here I am.

I trust that you have an incredible plan for me.

Transform me. Transform my life.

Everything is on the table.

Take what you want to take and give what you want to give.

Transform me into the person you created me to be,

so I can live the life you envision for me.

I hold nothing back;

I am 100 percent available.

How can I help?

Amen.



Feast Day: October 8

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Pelagia

Patron Saint of: Sinners

Also Known As: Saint Thais the Penitent