Liberation

But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: "Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine." Isaiah 43:1 The Message Bible

Redeemed you.
Called you by name.
Claimed you.

This few words help us understand transformation better, and how spiritual growth fits in. To be transformed is to be "redeemed." While we don't use the word "redeem" often in everyday speech, we do so on a couple of occasions. One way we sometimes use it is to say that we are going to redeem our bottles. We mean we are taking the bottles back to the retailer and getting our deposit back. The other way we have used it is with coupons - we go to the store and redeem a coupon for something, meaning that we get a discount.

Our use of the word "redeem" seems to be about getting or saving money. God considers us very valuable - even more valuable than money. One of the dictionary definitions of "redeem" is "to liberate by payment." Our transformation is a liberation that God provides for us - God "pays the price," it's free to us. What is liberated is our true self. The prophet hears God say, "I've called yoy by name." Transformation makes us more and more what God created us to be.

Another dictionary definition of "redeem" is "to recover ownership of something by paying a sum." We are claimed by God; in the words of the prophet, God says, "You're mine." The God who called us into being wants to call us into a relationship with God. Not a judgment. Not a religious oppression. Relationship.

So transformation happens as we are spiritually awakened. And that awakening is a process of liberating us from the shackles of societal and cultural and psychological expectations to allow us to metamorph into the individuals we were created to be, living in a relationship with our creator.