Transformation

-

The other day, I read a beautiful devotional written by my friend LeeAnn Kirkindoll. She talked about the process of transformation butterflies go through. For hours a caterpillar will struggle to force its body through a small opening of its cocoon. She explained that the small pinpoint of light the opening provides is what the new butterfly uses as a guide to reach its final destination.


She continued to explain that the caterpillar is fighting for his life as it pushes through. The journey through that tiny opening is extremely hard. Sometimes it seems like it will never make it. 


But once it completes the brutal transformation process the outcome is not only miraculous but also stunning.


During these sometimes dark times, Jesus has been my light. The only way I have continued to push through is by keeping my eyes on Him. I know many of you are struggling to become something more. Struggling to find a place of peace and a place of beauty regardless of your circumstances. Keep pushing. If you allow God to work in your life, He will transform it.


Some of us don’t even realize we need to be transformed but that doesn’t stop God from beginning and continuing a good work in us. It is absolutely a matter of trust and at least as much faith as the size of a mustard seed.


“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” -‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT


It’s not always easy… In fact, it usually isn’t. But the end result is absolutely worth it. It’s a miraculous and stunning life in Christ. It’s a life full of peace and joy and a love that meets you wherever you are.


Ezekiel 36:26–And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.


Thank God for His transformation power!


You can find beautiful devotionals from LeeAnn in her book 24k Life: Living Every Day Refined by God's Word

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Complexity of Prayer

-
Image
Have you ever considered the complexity of prayer? Have you ever had something you needed to pray about, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to talk to God about whatever the issue was? I have experienced that many times. I will call it “Prayer paralysis.” Prayer paralysis happens when you are afraid of any answer God might give you. If He says no, then you might feel bad, or sad, or even angry. If He says yes, then your fear factor increases because you just don’t think you can handle what a “Yes” entails (which essentially means that you don’t trust Him). So instead of revealing your lack of trust (Like seriously, you don’t think He knows? ), you just don’t pray. It’s kind of like when you were a little kid, and you would sit still and close your eyes, thinking that it would make you invisible. God already knows our fears of failure, self-pride, and even our trust issues, so we might as well just go ahead and lay it all at His feet. There’s another kind of prayer paralysis that I ha
Read more

Should Someone Call an Exorcist?

-
Image
Last Friday I went bowling with some of my family. I am aware of my low skill level, so I remained humble throughout the first game, and surprisingly finished in 1st place!  The second game began and I just knew I would dominate even more. I may not have been quite as humble. I was last on the list to go. I stood up and approached my ball with confidence. I picked it up, set my eye on the center arrow painted on the lane, then took a few quick steps forward just as I had before.  As I took my last step, I swung my arm backward, then forward, and fell flat on my face. Actually, flat is not entirely accurate. I’m pretty sure every one of my limbs flew in a different direction, and the position of my head may have had folks wondering if they should call an exorcist. I also seemed to be temporarily blinded from the fall but could hear my ball bouncing its way down the lane. Let’s pause for a moment of prayer. The problem was that I had stepped over the foul line into the lane— 1. Not reali
Read more

Go Deeper

-
Image
  Anyone struggling with anxiety? I have struggled with it quite a bit. Then, I realize that forgetting to bring all of my anxiety-inducing problems to God, is a big part of the problem. Yesterday I talked about living in endurance mode. Part of that is taking all of the difficult things, and trying to wait them out.  If I really think about it, I may have subconsciously believed that struggling is just part of the journey and that I need to suck it up, because Jesus went through way more than I ever will.    But, “ Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)  He never intended for us to hold onto them. Sometimes we don’t bother saying anything to God because, well, He knows what’s happening. He can change it if He wants to. So we sit paralyzed—enduring! Is that familiar to anyone? Though He could whisk our struggles away at any time, part of the journey, part of our relationship with the Creator is rooted in commu
Read more