STORIES OF CONVERSION, TRANSFORMATION AND ACCEPTANCE

Saul kept on threatening to kill the Lord's followers.

He even went to the high priest and asked for letters to the Jewish

leaders in Damascus. He did this because he wanted to arrest and take to Jerusalem

any man or woman who had accepted the Lord's Way.
When Saul had almost reached Damascus, a bright light from heaven

suddenly flashed around him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice that said,

"Saul! Saul! Why are you so cruel to me?"
"Who are you?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus," the Lord answered. "I am the one you are so cruel to.
Now get up and go into the city, where you will be told what to do."
The men with Saul stood there speechless.

They had heard the voice, but they had not seen anyone.

Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes,

he could not see a thing.

Someone then led him by the hand to Damascus,

and for three days he was blind and did not eat or drink.

The above description of St. Paul’s conversion is taken from The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 9:1-19. It records how Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, formerly a ruthless enemy and a relentless persecutor of the early Christian Church, was converted by God's grace to become one of its main supporters and spokesman. His transformation was as dramatic as it was overwhelming, and his change from one who killed Christians to one who was eventually killed because of his beliefs in Jesus Christ. It is often used as a paramount example of the place of Conversion as the heart of Christian experience.

In one way or another, examples of this kind of experience are exceedingly common in our day-to-day living, and I have no doubt that anyone of us will have no difficulty in recalling multiple encounters in ourselves and in others, when we witnessed a change that was entirely unexpected. The world’s books are similarly filled with stories of people who, as a result of a conversion, religious or otherwise, have changed the course of history.

In all the instances, these occurrences generally follow a distinct, easily identifiable pathway which first involves an event or series of events taking place causing an awareness or insight to develop and leading to a conversion and a change in attitude and perception. This is then followed by a period of assimilation leading ultimately to transformation and finally to acceptance or internalization. From then on the conversion is complete and a commitment to the new view is established.

Conversions are most commonly seen and reported in relation to religious events when as a result of a personal experience the individual undergoes a transformation leading to a new acceptance of the teaching and the principles of the religion. Over the centuries since the coming of Jesus Christ, the stories of conversion to Christianity by individuals, families, groups and even countries are well documented and easily accessible. There have been thousands of instances of people who have given up their previous lives to follow the ways of the particular religion. They have all contributed to the improvement of the people and the environment they shared and we have all come to accept the wisdom of their decisions. All of these people have earned the respect and admiration of succeeding generations for the sacrifices they made, as much as the good they achieved. They are held in the highest regards by all.

So too are the great humanitarian leaders who have appeared over the years. People like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela whose conversion to their cause of peace among people have resulted in profound changes occurring across the world. A study of the lives of any of these people will invariably show that in all the cases they did not arrive at their final position by a process of slow evolution, but rather as a result of the stressful circumstances and their reaction leading to a conversation, transformation and subsequent acceptance of their special role.

But there is also a group of people who, as a result of their special response to a catastrophic event, have and will continue to earn them the greatest respect from all of their peers. We can all relate to them, they live among us and are a source of profound respect and admiration from us, if only because we recognize that their action is above anything we can achieve. They don’t ask for special recognition, nor do they believe that they are extraordinary people. They believe that they are doing what they were meant to do under the special circumstances in which they find themselves.

In my career over many years, I have had the opportunity to meet and to work with a good number of these people. In every instant, when I encountered these individuals, I am overwhelmed with respect and admiration for what has been achieved and above all, by the faith and strength of character displayed. Consider the following examples;

-A 67 year man who was in good health and a dynamic businessman who had achieved great success in his private and professional life, and who enjoyed all the good things that this offered. As a result of a freak accident and medical mismanagement he sustained a broken neck leading to almost complete paralysis below the neck. After an early disappointment he quickly settled down and became quite positive announcing that God has given him the opportunity to use his illness to help others. He remained positive for as long as he lived. He had indeed experienced a conversion, undergone a transformation and achieved genuine acceptance.

-Nicholas James Vujicic, an Australian of Croatian descent was born with a rare condition, Tetramelia Disorder, characterized by almost complete absence of his upper and lower limbs. After an early life filled with anger and resentment including suicidal considerations, he became a very successful and much sought after Christian motivational speaker. He credits the change to a newspaper article he read when he was about 13 years old, about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help many people. He realized that this was an opportunity to use his skills to serve God and his conversion was complete.

-A 68 year old man ravaged with end stage cancer, who had spent the last few months with intense frustration and anger as only a person in his final days without hope or coming to terms, can feel. It became so difficult that even the professional caregivers found their job seriously compromised. One morning he awoke a changed man, more accepting and more tolerant. He continued to maintain this demeanor to the very end and as a result his family were grateful to spend this last period building meaningful and rewarding memories. To the end, he was sure that he was visited by an apparition, whom he is convinced was Jesus Christ, and was given certain reassurances. That indeed was the seed of his conversion, the reason for his transformation and the basis of his unwavering acceptance.

These are but three of many examples of this phenomenon at work. Like many others before me, I see this as a blessing, to be able to direct your efforts and energy in a positive, meaningful way. A way of finding joy and satisfaction by using your gifts to help others. In a way, it could be argued that this is indeed a justification for your presence on this earth and a fulfilment of God’s expectation for you. The sense of joy and equanimity these people radiate as they go about their tasks speaks loudly of their contentment. A state that the rest of us can only envy, as we pray for our turn to come along. Perhaps this is what St. Paul meant when he wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4:22-24:

“You should put away the old self of your former way of life,
Corrupted through deceitful desires,
And be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
And put on the new self created in God’s way,
In righteousness and holiness of truth.”