something greater

Do you know why a caterpillar turns into a butterfly? Because he has butterflies for parents. Do you know why deep inside you desire to please God? Because God is your Heavenly Father and you were made to be like Him. Because I am a baptised Christian, my soul-- and yours, if you are also a Christian--are oriented heaven-ward, and unless we are pointed in that direction, we will never be truly happy or fulfilled. We were made for God.
No one ever said that following God was going to be easy. No one promised that there would be no struggle, no darkness, no pain or suffering. We live in a world whose compass is not pointed to true North. We are swimming upstream. But we, those who have heard the symphony of heaven, even if it was long, long ago will not be satisfied with the banal thumping on rocks of the earth bound. We were made for something greater--something that Jesus Himself called into being inside of us and ushered us into as His beloved. We are called to be Kingdom dwellers.
Each time we die to self in obedience to the Father’s will in any situation, we are experiencing something greater. We are experiencing being made new. We are undergoing a metamorphosis of our soul. By His grace, when we are cooperative and obedient to His will, something beautiful hatches within us. We undergo conversion that leads to transformation that changes us, truly changes us.
I long for this transformation. You long for this, even if you do not know it. Why? Because God longs for us to have a family resemblance.
Five years ago I became a Catholic. It was the most radical thing I have ever done. I was the world’s happiest Protestant, but felt it was what God was calling me to do. There was a certain process I had to go through--not just a “Church process” but a “soul process.”
When we say “yes” to one thing, we must say “no” to another.
I write this now because I feel that God may be calling some of you to take a deeper look inside yourself. Easter is time for New beginnings! In order to “step out into the Light of His calling” you must step over the threshold of where you are now. That can be very scary. I know. I have been there… and quite frankly still am. God is always calling us to new things and that may be an uncomfortable place for you. It is for me. I like familiar. But God knows best and we must learn to trust Him to lead us to where He would have us to be in order to make us more into His image, to look more like our “Butterfly Father.”
Here are steps that help me when I feel I am being called in a new and unfamiliar direction.
Abandon myself to His Love. Truly TRUST IN HIM and His divine providence to show me the way.
I read His word and ask Him to guide me through it. ( I often ask for a sign or confirmation of what He may be calling me to do.)
I hand Him my fears. If I feel panic, I give it to Him, and quote scripture to combat the enemy, bolster my faith, and regain my focus.
I try not to determine the outcome, just trust. I ask Him to make me “detached” and to not prefer one thing to another, only to want what He wants and to simply do the NEXT step, the next thing that is presented to me.
I try to stay open to things and ways I may not understand. I ask for the gift of an open mind, open heart and open spirit...never say “never.”
I try to see what He is doing in and through the “process.” Is He asking me to become more patient? More kind? More understanding? More trusting? More detached? Perhaps that in and of itself is what He is calling me to…
I ask for courage, for strength, for guidance, for wise counsel and good friends. But mostly, beyond all of this, I pray. If He does not see fit to give me any of these gifts, I cling to Him and trust that He is enough to see me through to the end.
Lastly, I ask for the grace to remain joyful on the journey. If I am able to do this, in spite of how I may actually feel, I know that I am “living in the moment” and trusting in Him with my eyes on my Savior, not my circumstances. But, again, if the “feelings” don’t come, I ask to remain faithful, obedient and steadfast...anyway.
What is God asking of you? What, if anything is holding you back? Ask Him to give you all that you need to step out in faith and to see where He leads. He will never ask you to do anything that is contrary to His Word and is not for your and the Body of Christ’s ultimate good. You need not fear, only trust in Him.
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
Dear Lord,
Here I stand at the threshold of a new season with You. I ask that You would give me the grace to always be seeking You and the things of You. If you are calling me into something greater, something new, please show me and give me the strength, the ability and the courage to follow Your promptings. I only want what You want as You always want the best for me. Please allow me the grace to be transformed as I renew my mind and life to the truth of Your word. Take me Lord, change me and make me look more like You.
I ask this in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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