PART TWO: Illumination: From Trying to Be a Christian to Becoming like Christ
Part Two
Illumination
From Trying to Be a Christian
to Becoming like Christ
ILLUMINATION BRINGS A NEW KIND OF ATTENTION. We start to notice God with us in the margins of our day. It’s not dramatic; it’s more like a slow brightening. As we settle into our life with Christ, something in us begins to grow. The Spirit bears fruit. This stage is exhilarating—but it can also be frustrating. We’re no longer who we were, but we’re not yet who we hope to become. Progress itself can create a craving for more progress. It can turn our attention from receiving to striving. I think of illumination as the messy middle—where real change is happening, but often just beneath the surface, making transformation hard to see.
All throughout Scripture, we read of light breaking in, from the pillar of fire in the wilderness to the dawning wisdom of the proverbs, from Jesus shining on the mountain to Saint Paul’s vision on the road. Over and over, we’re given glimpses of what it means to see differently. The psalmist prays, “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me” (Psalm 43:3). Saint John reminds us that the true light gives light to everyone. This middle stretch of our journey is where that light begins to reach us.
As transformation gets underway, so does our desire to live with more intention. A Rule of Life becomes one way we give shape to that desire—turning inspiration into something more intentional. We also start wanting to turn more of our attention Godward. Prayer becomes the way—not for getting what we want, but for being with the One we want. Of course, transformation feels slow, so it’s easy to pretend like we’re further along. But illumination calls us to patience. And over time, patience births humility, the quiet strength that draws us into union with God.
Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). So let us move toward that light. Knowing that we are moving closer to our telos, the loving likeness of Christ, union with the Eternal Three.