Bob Keeshan, known to millions as Captain Kangaroo, was for decades the beloved host of a morning television show for children. When he began his role as the grandfatherly Captain in 1955, Keeshan was only twenty-eight years old; and so, to look the part, he had to wear a great deal of make-up, fake whiskers, and a wig. But as he played the role through the years, his hair turned white and wrinkles appeared. Keeshan found that he needed less and less make-up. Near the end of his career he could say: “I have grown into the part.”
The pilgrim heart will, in time, be shaped in the image of Christ. Initially, the likeness will be faint, hardly plausible at all. But if we walk the road with him, loving as he taught, then we become what we perform in due time. “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). At first we speak these words as a hopeful prayer; one day they will be true. . . . We are changed (Paul employs a Greek word which is the root of the English word metamorphosis) into the divine image incrementally, step by step, “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Furthermore, it occurs through the Holy Spirit’s powerful work in our lives, not through our effort or ingenuity. These two facts lead to patience (for the transformation requires much time, trial, error, pain, and failure) and humility (since it is never our doing; we are recipients of a holy gift).
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