“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 from the Lord, the Spirit.“

– 2 Corinthians 3:18

The other day I was baking snickerdoodle cookies for the first time ever. As I was trying so hard to make the dough just right and perfectly cover the small balls with cinnamon, I began thinking about the baking process as a whole.

In order for the outcome to be delicious, the baker must carefully gather and mix loads of different ingredients to transform into a sweet taste. They then must bake the cookies with such care that they do not leave them in the oven for too long or take them out too early. Once the cookies are seemingly baked to perfection, they then must let them sit on the tray for a little while to cool down and harden to just the right crunch to gooey ratio before serving them.

I know right. It sounds so much more intense than the cute Pinterest pictures tend to portray. But what interests me the most is the relation between baking cookies and what living for God looks like.

If you put yourself in the shoes of those cookies, you will realize that there is so much trust you have to give the baker if you want to become a delicious, warm, and sweet snack. In that same way, we as Christians are responsible for letting God have our trust if we desire to be made into the new creation scripture tells us about.

We have to trust that God will bring us from glory to glory.

I was reading into the actual meaning Paul had when He wrote about this in 2 Corinthians and…wowza. It turns out, it is not simply a saying; to bring hope that God will use your different seasons for His eventual glory, but that He promises to make us new, free, and able to form a personal relationship with Him.

The glory He brings us from is that of the old testament, the law of Moses. This law brought much fear and despair among the people because it leveled the ground, making us all equal sinners, worthy of nothing but death. Believers were then left to rely NOT on their obedience to the law, but their faith and trust that God would accept their sacrifices as a covering for their sins. The point of the law was not to change a person or personally bring them closer to God, but to bring awareness to our sin and desperate need to submit to the authority of the Lord.

Thankfully, God opened a new door through the death of His son.

Now I am not saying we no longer have to obey the 10 commandments. They are still important and after one is saved, we should be compelled to follow them out of our love and gratitude for God. But the glory that God is moving us to, is one that brings life instead of fear.

The new covenant, salvation through Jesus, is a game changer. Although it shows us our flaws and need for God just as much as the old covenant did, it also brings forgiveness and an opportunity to personally connect with God through the Holy Spirit that now lives in every believer. And with the Holy Spirit comes this beautiful thing called transformation.

As a baker collects the ingredients for a cookie, the only difference between the dough and the sweet treat on someone’s plate is the change that happens in the oven. A cookie is not terrible if it’s not cooked (aside from the salmonella you could get from the raw egg, but ignore that for the sake of my analogy). BUT it is not in the complete form that the baker intended for it to become. The power of the oven is what transforms the dough into the beautiful cookie. But as we know, an oven is hot. That dough endures loads of pressure and heat before it reaches its complete form.

We often believe that with God, our lives should be a breeze. But that is not true. Just because God’s plans for us are promised to be good, does not mean they will be easy.

Growing up, I came to understand very well that what the world offers tends to sound like the easy way out of situations. And a lot of times, I still struggle to fully submit to God’s way because I desire the instant gratification that sin brings. Because of this, when the Holy Spirit tries to guide me to the righteous path, it can be uncomfortable. My brain will understand why the Holy Spirit is right, but my heart will lean towards temptation, making me feel under pressure and heat just like the dough in the oven.

But after each time God reveals why He lead me somewhere, I understand why the transformation was necessary, just as I am sure the cookie thinks about his time in the oven after it is dipped in a nice, tall glass of milk and enjoyed by a family. Both of us then see how the Baker/Maker knew best all along.

So as we go about our lives and sing about how God brings us from glory to GLORY, I hope you really sit and think about what transformation the Holy Spirit is doing in you this season like the oven is doing to the dough. We ought to not miss out on the millions of ways we can be Christ-like every day. Take advantage of the closeness God is seeking to form with you as you slowly become more and more like the person He designed you to be.

What a great joy it is to be transformed. And what a greater joy it is to get to know the “Baker” of our lives so well. Listen to me my dear friend, if it is not finished yet…believe me, it’s gonna be…and it’s gonna be amazing!! Trust that God will bring you from glory to glory in every season of your life. He makes all things beautiful. It is just a matter of time. Let the Baker mold you into the creation you were made to become.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17