His wife, Elena, had left the small book on his nightstand three weeks ago. Transformados En Su Imagen. He’d ignored it. The subtitle— El Plan De Dios Para Transformar Tu Vida —felt like a cruel joke. He had tried plans: anger management (failed), gym memberships (abandoned), a short-lived promise to read the Bible daily (lasted until February). Each attempt left him more convinced that he was not a statue waiting to be polished, but a broken pot with a crack running straight through his center.
He thought of the final chapter of Berg’s book: “La gloria de Dios no es que usted sea feliz, sino que usted sea santo. Y la santidad es simplemente amor hecho hábito.” (The glory of God is not that you be happy, but that you be holy. And holiness is simply love made habitual.)
He opened to the first chapter. Berg’s words were not soft. They did not promise happiness in three easy steps. Instead, they asked a question that lodged itself in Mateo’s chest like a splinter: Are you trying to reform your old self, or are you allowing God to create a new one? His wife, Elena, had left the small book
Mateo smiles. “Yeah. I stayed.”
And that, he finally understands, is the plan. The subtitle— El Plan De Dios Para Transformar
Daniel looked up, startled. For a long second, neither moved. Then the boy’s shoulders sagged—not in defeat, but in relief. And they talked. Not about grades, but about fear. About pressure. About the weight of being a teenager who felt invisible.
But the words from Transformados En Su Imagen whispered in his mind: “La transformación comienza donde termina tu fuerza.” (Transformation begins where your strength ends.) He thought of the final chapter of Berg’s
The key phrase appeared in chapter four: “No se transformen a la imagen de su propia imaginación, sino permítanme transformarlos a la mía.” (Do not transform yourselves into the image of your own imagination, but allow Me to transform you into Mine.)
The story does not end with Mateo becoming a pastor or a hero. It ends on a Tuesday. Daniel has the flu. Elena is working late. And Mateo sits on the edge of his son’s bed, holding a cool cloth to the boy’s forehead. Daniel mumbles, “Dad, you stayed.”