Transformation again?!

Another study on transformation…do you ever get tired of reading and hearing about transformation again and again?! Well here’s another book about an old topic…The Lazarus Life by Stephen W. Smith.
“Now I know, not again, Renee! Can we just leave this alone already!!”
There are times in my life that I have responded this very same way to Jesus. Sometimes I even respond with
“Didn’t we just do this last year?!”
Ever stop and think that there are so many books, talks, and sermons on transformation, sanctification, breaking free, shedding grave clothes because we aren’t getting the message. What’s the old saying for speakers…Tell them what you want to say…Tell them what you just said…tell them again…or something like that. God has been telling His people for thousands of years how He wants to make a difference in our lives and how He has created a plan to make that difference. We see it in parables, biographies, autobiographies and so on. He had a plan, we ruined it and now He wants to fix it and start the plan again. We do this through transformation, sanctification…We can attempt to avoid it but He loves us and knows that His plans are better than ours and He is persistent and creative, hence all the different titles and venues.

Just to take this caterpillar thing all the way, if you look at the life of a caterpillar, it is born and by instinct begins eating as much as it can in preparation for the cocoon/chrysalis phase of its life. Upon entering this phase the caterpillar hangs out and waits for metamorphosis to be completed. When the great transformation is complete the winged insect with great effort pulls itself out of its self made prison. Then hangs on for an interminable amount of time waiting for its wings to unfold and dry, carefully folding and unfolding wings, antennae, and tongue. (Catch youtube for great videos of various moths/butterflies in this transforming process – very cool!)

As humans we don’t live by instinct alone, but are given the gift of free choice, a freedom we take complete advantage of. We are able to therefore, choose the “food” we “eat”; pouring in words of all kinds from many different resources. Does this food really prepare us for the cocoon that will and does come? Most of us have the choice to pour uplifting, encouraging and life-giving words in the way of books, music and teachings but so often we make a diet of desert and fluff that is not lasting or life-giving. Then we find ourselves in the self made cocoon or prison without the strength and wisdom we need to wait out the transformation and be able to find the way out; leaving us trapped in this prison desperate for a way out and finding none. Then through His persistence and creativity Jesus finds a way to get us the much needed strength, encouragement and wisdom to guide us out of the cocoon that seemed to kill us. Then through the miracle of our everlasting Savior the strange creature that went into the cocoon is transformed into something beautiful and awesome. But we cannot move too quickly or have someone remove us from the cocoon. We must come out by ourselves and do it slowly waiting for the process to be complete. We must do these steps to allow our wings to be ready for flight and to have the strength we need to fly. After the difficulty and waiting is finally done, the caterpillar is gone and an awesome moth or beautiful butterfly is here. Amazing!! The miraculous transformation/metamorphosis is complete and very much worth the effort and wait.

Where are you? What are you feeding yourself? How is the wait going? Do you have the strength and wisdom needed for your escape? Are you trying to rush the completing phase? Do you recognize the person in the mirror or are you being mistaken for Jesus or His version of you? Will you follow Him and His ways on this journey to discover the transformation He has planned?

WHAT AN AMAZING PERSON HE ENVISIONS YOU AND ME TO BE.