Transforming Life Testimony — Helen Song
Hi everyone, today I’m going to be sharing my experience taking Transforming Life bible study.
I had attempted to take a life series class twice previously but without enough sign ups the classes didn’t happen. I believe I did so at the time because I thought it was the right thing to do and best course of action, not because I had a deep desire to take these classes. Therefore, without much thought, or knowledge as to what type of class this was, I found myself signing up for transforming life.
As I learned more, I grew anxious whether I, an extreme introvert, would be able to share about my challenges, personal reflections, and unveil my relationship with God. I was also worried about the time commitment with weekly classes, the homework and meeting with my sharing partner in conjunction with my often-overwhelming work schedule.
You can probably sense the trend but I’m a highly anxious person, which is why I try my best to take control of what I can. The best way I found that I could do that was to plan. Plan for my future to reach the next big milestone, budget for providing not only for myself but for my family too, efficiently scheduling my time at work down to the little things like running simple errands and meal-prepping.
As classes started, every week we delved into a different spiritual discipline, learning about what they are, practical ways to apply them in our daily lives and opportunities to put them into practice. All the spiritual disciplines we covered are interrelated and cannot be ranked in importance; however, personally there were two that spoke to me – the spirit of simplicity & submission.
There was one specific passage that challenged me which was from Matthew 6:30-33. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
It’s a popular verse that most Christians have heard of and that I was aware of as well, but one I continued to struggle with. During this specific week I promised myself that every time I found myself feeling anxious, I would thank God for everything he’s done for me, to have faith in his provisions and for peace in my heart. Looking back, God has always provided for me in ways I couldn’t have planned for. For instance, I graduated with average grades, but found myself getting a job right out of school in the field that I love and studied for. I needed to commute to work but didn’t have my G licence or a car. However, the weeks leading up to my start date, I passed my driving test, and happened to buy a car off a friend who was leaving the country for a really good price.
In doing this, I’ve started to experience the peace and freedom of not having to worry about my five-year plan or my finances or how I’m going to meet my next deadline. And not to say you shouldn’t plan, but I think my heart is in a better place when I do it now. God also reminded me that I can’t possibly plan or dream big enough for what he has planned for me. He works in ways I cannot account for and with that in mind, I was able to let some things go and concede in this fight for control with God.
Lastly, I was astonished at how God opened my heart to share willingly and vulnerably week after week. The worries that I had prior were replaced with peace and joy. I’m so thankful that I was able to take this class. I won’t sugar coat this and tell you all that it was easy and that I’ve fully embraced this “Jesus take the wheel” lifestyle. I felt incredibly challenged, confronted by my short comings, and continue to struggle going to God with my worries. Despite this, I came out of this class with high spirits, showered with God’s love, grace, and faithfulness to continue learning, and deepen my relationship with Him.
I’d like to thank Pastor Caleb for leading us the past 13 weeks and for my fellow transforming life classmates for their encouragement, continuous prayer and for making this an enjoyable experience. Thank you for listening.
