Vast Love

The vast Love swells all around me

Washing in huge waves over the deck rails

Flooding the inner cabin of my soul

Threatening to overturn my fragile vessel

On the high seas of life.

How much more can I stand

Of this beautiful sweetness,

This connection with Source,

This unending longing for union

That makes me want to laugh and cry

At the same time?

This Love knows me

And loves knowing me

And makes me love

Everyone

Everything

And even myself.

Words are such traitors;

All of them pale beside 

This force, 

This palpable reality,

This Being.

I surrender to it

Trusting I will not die

In its aweful beauty.

The Wooing

I have been a fortress,

Strong and nearly impenetrable.

Very few interlopers

Have scaled my walls

To gain access to the courtyard.

Even then, the doors

To my inner sanctum

Have stayed securely fastened.

The lock is broken

By no one.

Even God.

I am safe within my walls,

That little one 

Who was so wounded.

The little furry creatures

And my beautiful plants

Keep me company.  

They cannot speak

And that is good.

Human words often

Frighten, anger me.

I don’t miss my kind.

Many projects

Keep my mind and hands

Busy in the silence.

They give me satisfaction

While humans only angst.

Yet, I must say lately

A puzzling presence

With no body

Seems to have invaded

My inner sanctum.

I did not lift the latch,

And I cannot keep it out.

Nor would I want to.

It comes and goes as it wants,

And, against my will, I am

Drawn into its comforting,

Kind and peaceful folds.

It assures me that

All will be well

All will be well

Without uttering a sound.

And, lo, I believe it.

I catch myself

Waiting, waiting

For its return

And ruing its departure.

I first was sure

Some angelic being

Had lost its way

Traversing the skies

Back to heaven.

Now I think, against all reason,

My Creator has come to call,

Beckoning me sweetly

To set aside 

My lonely projects

My fearful hermitry

My refusal to connect, to feel

And work with Him

On my soul.

Not a pleasant thought,

For I fear there is much pain to face.

But I cannot refuse

This gentle, kind Spirit. 

He woos me

And I say yes.

The Healing

Shattered shards of beauty

Weep silently at the rending

Then gush great fountains of tears

For the wounds made by

Hammers of youth, of family, of circumstance

Which broke the luminous mold.

But, lo, He is bringing the jagged pieces,

Still pulsing with divine light,

Together.

They tremble, first touching,

Then pull away in fear.

What will it be like to be whole?

To show forth the Light

As was meant from ages long past?

Perhaps the energy will be too great--

Perhaps, coalescing, it will explode.

The thing of beauty is too wonderful to behold.

How much easier to gaze upon

The broken remnants!

But slowly, irresistibly, they come together

In Him.

I am finally who I was meant to be — the created.

And I am not afraid to look.

The Prophet

I am His prophet

Truth-teller

Never forgetting

Whose I am,

Eschewing all

That keeps me from

The joy

Of that knowing.

For all my days

I never knew

Such cauldrons burned below

In me.

Or that I had a mind so sharp

That I could make

Truth known.

I lived in fear

Peering out

From my self-made prison.

Doubting any talent

Any ken

And waiting to be damned.

Now, I know

I am a channel sure

For others of His blessing,

Changing every second

With His mind and bidding.

Born upon the flowing,

Effortless, at ease.

No need to row against a current

Or even steer.

Peace

Sadness

Alarm

Guilt

The day's first rays peek over the horizon

Soon the trees won't be able to hide the orb's scorching missiles.

Autumn in Mississippi.

Yet,  I can't enjoy the coolness, the stillness, the beauty, the waiting

For God to speak.

The other voices, the ones inside me, clamor too much for attention --

Reminding me of all I have not done and all I need to do, including write this poem.

For time, they tell me, is racing by at a shocking rate

And there is so much to accomplish.

Restless,

My heart beats faster, I am slightly panicked.

I have asked God in the past why He will not give me a steady supply of that peace that comes sometimes, 

The peace that none of those voices can reach.

That renders them mute and helpless, that obliterates them.

All is lost except the KNOWING that all is well, all is well, and all manner of things are well.

No longer do I beg God. I know that the peace-- God--  resides right next to the voices-- within me.

It is always ready for access, if I choose.

But I must be quiet and enter His world.

It is a mystery.

I will feel better having written this, having DONE something.

But it would be better had I done nothing.....and found that elusive peace.

Found God, in me.

God’s Measure

How fragile

Really

This diamond 

In the dust.

How easily broken

When tortured to fit

The tiny confines

Of expectations.

We struggle

Don’t we

Pitifully

To measure up

To succeed,

Using anyone’s 

Measuring stick

Except God’s.

He has erased

All the numbers 

On his.

Truly sad

To see

The shimmering

Bits of ourselves

In pieces

On the floor.

It need not be so.

Dawn

My favorite time of day

The first blushes of dawn

Peek over the horizon.

At times the fingers of

Yellow, azure, and rose

Intertwine so riotously

That the whole sky fairly shouts,

"God is great and greatly to be praised!"

Other times, like today,

Their voices blend quietly

Into one, whispering,

"Jesus loves you, you know."

In this quiet hour, just a space away

From my night of dreams,

Of escape

From the rigors of life,

My heart can breathe

Can still beat slowly.

The spectres of the day's demons

Have yet to materialize.

I can rest in the knowledge

That God has my back

That He delights in me

And I can even count some ways.

I wait and listen in the stillness

In the beauty

For His voice to come,

Ever painting lovely pictures

Of the endless opportunities

For life in Him

To unfold

Even in the often bleakness

Of this world.

And I pray yet again,

As the dawn's shy colors

Give way to the sun's

Bright march upward in the morning sky,

And the day's challenges approach,

"Lord, give me courage

For what comes today.

Help my heart not skitter

In fright at even simple things

That threaten to undo my peace of mind.

Cover me, protect me

From fearful perceptions

That cause me not to enjoy your

Creation and your people.

Cause me to see you in everything."

Now I go, centered

At least for now,

Watching, listening

In my heart

To see the lighted path

To hear the lighted path

Until I sit in this place tomorrow

Co-Creators

I co create with God in every second,

His power, His mind 

Somehow meshing with my own.

I wait for the knowing

For the certainty that, yes, this is what we want.

Breaking Out

I’m breaking out --

Taking You at your word.

You asked, 

“Why do you sit

In this prison cell,

When I’ve unlocked the door

And cut your bonds?

In an instant I awoke

Spied the bars

Felt the shackles chafe

Against my wrists

And knew for the first time

The lies that had kept me prisoner.

The Light proved all

To be illusions, imposters,

Cruelly promising a full heart

But bringing only joyless sorrow--

When I had felt hopeless 

Because I could not have

What I wanted.

When I had felt useless

Because I could not accomplish

What I wanted.

When I had felt powerless

Because I could not control 

What I wanted.

Now the door

Indeed stands ajar,

And the chains lay lifeless

On the floor, no longer attached

To me.

All I have to do 

Is move.

But my feet are so heavy,

It is too hard!

Suddenly a hand 

Appears before my face

And I grab hold.

Joyful energy courses

Through my veins

Giving my feet 

Courage to move.

Here I come!

Into your Love, your Light!!!

An Other in Me

The stillness welcomes me.

In it reside

A world of ---

Invitations, for want of a

Better word.

No sounds, no thoughts, no ideas.

They are from

An Other

Not of this world.

They all beckon me

To rest

To listen

To BE.

Comforting, 

Because they bid me

Cease

The frenetic racing

From project to project

Thought to thought

Deed to deed

Even done for good.

They make me know

It is ok

To live into

God’s love

His care

His preparation

For all there is

To be

Of my life.

Unbelievably,

I fight them…

The insanity 

Of being human, I guess.

I fear if I listen

I will sink into sloth

A lazy glob of flesh

Incapable of achieving

Success.

Whatever that is.

The morning stillness 

Is the best.

I feel

My Other

So much better.

Lord, help me

Take it through

The day.

Rootbound

I was planting some moss today and was reminded of a rather important spiritual lesson.  Many plants I buy at the nursery are “root-bound,” meaning they have outgrown the pot they are in.  If you zoom in on the pic on the left, you will see that the roots and dirt are exactly the same shape as the container.  They are so tightly bound together that the dirt cannot even fall away from the roots.  If you plant it that way, it will never get any bigger and more than likely become sickly and die. You see, the roots don’t know that you’ve removed their restriction; they will continue circling that dirt thinking they are still in the pot, when actually they have as much room as they need to roam around.

Experienced gardeners prepare the plant for another pot or the ground by distressing it, dragging their fingernails over all the roots and breaking them up, as the pic shows on the right. They hang out of the dirt heater-skelter, ready to move off in another direction. It looks a little bedraggled, but it is just right to go into the ground and thrive.

The next time you are faced with a challenging situation and feel that sharp fingernails are tearing your comfortable life to shreds, remember that, like that plant, we don’t grow spiritually in comfort and complacency.  We need distressing. The hurt and the pain is where growth happens. God loves us too much to leave us root-bound. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us to count it all joy.

James 1:2-4

A Penlight in the Darkness

When I was very sick,

My mind had seized,

My heart was frozen,

My spirit had taken flight 

Like a winged bird.

How would I survive?

How would I know the way? 

I had dropped my penlight

In the deep, deep grass;

Or perhaps it had gone

Careening off the cliff 

Just millimeters away.

In a fog I panicked 

And just stopped.

Would I remain here forever?

Or misstep

And risk the abyss?

Gradually, I realized someone 

Had picked up my penlight, 

And its soft gleam 

Still illuminated my feet

And the next step.

Emboldened, I stepped forward 

And took courage to look ahead.

There a hazy form took shape 

Who must hold the light.

We continued on,

And strength returned

With each step.

Gaining on the figure,

I hoped to say thanks 

And retrieve my light.

Reaching out, 

As I came abreast the humble form,

I made to grasp my light

And touched the outstretched hand

Handing the light off.

It was then 

That the thanks died on my lips

When I saw 

The ugly, ragged hole 

In that hand,

And my penlight 

Smeared with blood.

I expected the figure to leave

Now its job was done.

But on it strove,

Ever present, 

Ever loving, 

Ever vigilant

For trouble.

Somehow I knew

This Help had been there all along,

Watching, waiting

For me to acknowledge

I needed help.

By all that’s holy,

How had I never noticed

My Friend before?

She

Stacy Wills @stacywillsart

I immediately loved this when Stacy Wills painted it in 2012. It hangs on my healing room wall to remind me who I really am.

Late of heaven

Her being still glistens

With the pulsing golden dust

Of that holy place.

She skips up one side 

Of rainbow’s arc

In cloudless sky,

And slides down

Its other side

Laughing in sheer delight

At its beauty and its grace.

She is a warrior, brave and noble

Her spear of truth

She heaves

To hit the mark

In both friend and foe.

Yet, it does not harm or kill—

Only melts in healing balm

Within those hearts

To cause growth.

Her soul reaches to her Maker,

Another brave and true.

Forms a channel for His goodness, love, and power

Grows daily ever larger

As He fills her.

She marvels at newfound power,

Aware that change has come

Is here

Has been here for a long age.

She welcomes the adventure.

Looking back, upon the dewy ground,

There lies a dried up shell,

A crumpled, molted sheath

That she recognizes as herself

Of old.

No longer needed and outgrown.

She gazes at it long and lovingly

With forgiveness and thanks

For its protection all those years.

Then, turning her beautiful face

To the glorious sunrise

She strides boldly off

To life.

Transformation

Once the path seemed so clear

Through all the brambles

And dense undergrowth.

But I noticed as I hacked

My way through it,

Making judgments,

Giving ultimatums

About the truth as I saw it,

I left angry welts on those

I encountered on the way—

Sometimes ugly gashes,

Watering the earth with crimson.

Even the vegetation seemed to cry out

At my harshness.

Mystery has now settled over the path;

Unknowing often reigns.

And I consider much

Before my machete

Comes down.

The briars now do indeed

Draw my own blood.

I cry countless tears.

But, oddly, joy

Even compassion

Wells up in me

For those I meet along the path.

I cut carefully, mindfully

Around them as I go.

No longer do I hurt them.

We move along together

Toward that Brightness

Only the soul can see.

The Cicadas Know A Secret

Well, I have been thinking about the cicadas for days now and knowing that they are speaking a message to me from God.  I haven't known what exactly... just bits and pieces that make sense, but then hit a dead end.  But today I will put something down for your consideration since, as Maya Angelou so aptly put it, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

The periodical cicada is a fascinating creature.  What you are hearing now is the call of countless males intent on finding mates. The females then lay eggs on branches.  A few weeks later, both adults die.  When the eggs hatch, the nymphs fall to the ground, enter the soil, and feed on roots-- for either 13 or 17 years (13 in our region).  Then they climb out of the earth and back up a tree (or some tall object), shed their skins, and emerge as adults to begin the cycle all over again.

I don't know about you, but that 13 years in the ground gives me real pause.  I mean, that's got to be pretty confining and boring, not to mention DARK.  How does anything live without the sun? I know all you scientists out there are dying to tell me, but that's really not my burning question.  As with all things in nature, I wonder what it has to teach me about God and my relationship to Him, for the lessons are ALWAYS there in nature.

I guess first I have been thinking about the boredom and monotony of waking up every morning to eat the same roots in the same darkness -- no traveling around for these guys. Yet, God has made them to be content with this because this is how they will mature and complete their life cycle, such as it is.  The encyclopedia (no, I didn't Google this stuff) says nothing about the cicadas' benefit to nature in those 13 years; in fact, when the female lays the eggs, she saws into the twig bark and kills the tip of the twig.

So, here we have a creature who spends 13 years in the ground eating, emerges to reproduce, and then almost instantly dies.  What's the use of it? Then I thought about how often I am bored, straining at the bit to make my life more exciting, discontent when things are moving slowly -- or not at all.  Living in the present moment is so very difficult, isn't it? Thanking God for what is here and now, accepting it, enjoying it fully, without regretting what could have been or anticipating what might be.  To be satisfied with what comes down to us from the Father of Light.  To be content not being productive, not having to validate our existence.  Just simply living.  Very, very few of us have even the faintest clue how to do that.

And the darkness.  I don't like to think about it, but it's evident something good is going on down there in the dark with those cicadas; they are munching away and staying alive. As I said, not exciting, but we have no idea what else they are doing down there to have fun.  Jesus said the rocks would cry out to praise Him if we don't; I guess that means the cicadas have that capability also.  Reckon they are doing that in their cicada-way down there?  My takeaway from this is that good things can happen in the darkness; God can teach us things while we are icing cakes, but He seems to keep His deepest answers to mysteries hidden in the dark and pain that come to us.  St. John of the Cross tells us that God does some of His best work in us during the dark night of the soul.  That's when we think everything is going to hell-- literally.  It doesn't have to be life-shattering stuff; it could simply be a time when we feel rudderless, purposeless, alone, or just stuck.  Could it be there where WE learn how to praise Jesus?

The scary part is that we don't know how long that darkness is going to hang around -- one hour can feel like 13 years, right?  A tip from the cicadas -- stay busy living, no matter how mundane, praising and trusting Jesus, because the light eventually comes. Isaiah said it best: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned" (9:2) 

And then we realize a stupendous fact: that Christ essence has been in us, available to us, all the time in the darkness, just like it is in the cicadas that came into being through His Word.

See, I bet those cicadas already knew that and have been talking about it down there this whole time.

The Frustrated Little Bird

Almost ten years ago, I was having a quiet devotion while attending a Journey Partners spiritual direction training retreat.  The early morning sun peeked through the large picture windows on the east side of my cottage, and for some ten minutes I watched this little bird try desperately to fly through those windows.  He sat on a deck chair just a foot from the window and, every few seconds, flung himself at the window, only to be met by solid glass.  His beak bounced off the glass, throwing him backwards.  In frustrated surprise, he settled back onto the chair and stared at the glass, not really seeing the glass, but the open space beyond which he hoped to reach.  So close, and yet so far, he seemed to say!  Time after time he attempted to break through, each one with the same force—I suppose thinking that “this time” he will break down the barrier.

He finally took one long look at the window, then turned his back on it.  Ah, he has gotten the message, I thought, that the obstacle is impenetrable.  But no, turning back to the window after a couple of minutes, he was at it again.  Finally, some five minutes later he apparently gave up and flew off.  Is it over?  No!! Incredibly, some fifteen minutes later, he flew back to the chair and began his attack on the window again!  He repeated this entire process two more times before I had to leave.  I believe I could have sat there all morning and witnessed the same scenario over and over.  The next day this bird was back at it again!!  What perseverance!!

As usual, such shenanigans put me in mind of us in all of our futile searching.  How many things in our lives are as fruitless as that little bird’s venture?  Be it relationship, vocation, faith, hobby, you name it, are we trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and simply refusing to recognize God’s will in our lives?  I am sure you know the popular definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  I posit that men and women, all of us, are insane when it comes to understanding who we are before our Creator and what that means for how we conduct our lives.

Unlike the bird, we don’t have to continue beating our heads against a brick wall.  We have an excellent brain that can tell us when we are fruitless.  But the mind will not take us all the way to God.  For that we need to move into a totally different space, into the silence where God lives within us.  To our soul.  We need to listen to the truth that the soul can teach us.  But that will not get us all the way either.  We then need to act upon the truth we hear and come to embrace.  This might take a while.  Only then will we turn away from trying unsuccessfully to grab the enticing fruit we see before us. Only then will we move away from the obstacle and go where God wants us to go, perhaps far away from that particular enticement.  When we do that, we come upon what God has for us, exactly where we are supposed to be for maximum joy.  Belatedly, we realize that we would never have chosen this path ourselves, but we know it is where we were bound all the while.

When We Fail

Well, the summer is almost over, and, as far as gardening is concerned, I don’t feel as if I have had a summer.  For most of the growing season, all of the veggies have been spindly, with no blooms and obviously no fruit.  I have never experienced such a gardening failure.

The sad tale began about the middle of June when I decided to follow a Youtube gardener’s advice and buy a 40 per cent shade cloth to protect my plants from the broiling Mississippi sun.  I was tired of seeing my plants burn up in the summer no matter how much I watered.  After a fair amount of research, I invested the money to cover the entire garden.

As the men put it up, a small, niggling voice whispered, “Isn’t that a little dark in there for those peas, corn and beans, not to mention the tomatoes?”  I ignored it, especially when I realized how much cooler working in the garden had become.  But after a few weeks I could not deny that my plants were not prospering.  All that work gone to waste!  Finally a couple of weeks ago I pulled almost everything up, admitting defeat.  How sad!

Yet, I did notice the peppers and okra and even one lone cucumber were making a comeback, responding to the light and producing, even though not as healthy as they should be.  Filled with hope, I replanted the green beans and several rows of purple hull peas, banking on a harvest before frost in November.  Actually I endorsed myself for such positive thinking; in the past, I would have been mercilessly berating myself for such a poor decision.

A little thought would have helped me see that plants need the sun, and some need the blazing hot summer sun.  Belatedly I asked my friend and well-known horticulturist Felder Rushing what he thought about shade cloths.  He said, ”You don’t need them. Millions of southern gardeners have been planting without shade cloths for hundreds of years and reaped wonderful harvests.” True.  Why didn’t I ask him BEFORE this disastrous and expensive experiment?  I won’t make that mistake again!

In life we sometimes make the same poor decisions even though our intentions are good. And at times those decisions fly in the face of good sense. We forge ahead independently without there wise counsel of family and friends.  We fail in jobs, projects, relationships. The temptation is to give up, wallowing in the swamp of self criticism. But living in the chrysalis demands that we let this ego trap that begs for perfection dissolve and take on the mind of Christ. He accepts us as we are, with all our failings, and gives us the power to start over, begin again, learn from mistakes, and, perhaps, accomplish more than we did before.  We are looking toward complete transformation, as the caterpillar turns into a butterfly, Let's salute new beginnings! 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

The Great Light

Originally published April 20, 2024

I had a nightmare a couple of months ago, the kind you wake up from and instantly go to prayer thanking God it was only a dream. I was in one of those odd, never-never land states where I consciously knew I was in the bed in my sister-in-law’s home, but my subconscious was calling the shots. I began straining to make out something, anything in the inky blackness. No matter where I looked, I could not discern anything—no window, no furniture, no light under the door. In this dreamlike state, I finally decided I was blind. I didn’t know how it had happened, because I had gone to bed fine. Simply put, I was terrified and began to think how hard life was going to be now that I couldn’t see. Each second, I became more and more frantic, and I could feel my heart racing. Suddenly, however, I noticed a tiny green dot of light blinking on the ceiling. The smoke detector! I wasn’t blind!! I woke up and was so relieved I almost cried out in joy.

Life is much like that, isn’t it? Sometimes the blackness comes upon us, we its unwitting victims. What in the world to do? We are desolate, terrified, enraged, and any number of other emotions. The darkness is so thick and suffocating we think we may die. Some of the darkness we want desperately to escape—impending divorce, death of loved ones, financial collapse, catastrophic illness -- and can’t find the way out. Yet, sometimes, truth to tell, we actually run toward the darkness for some crazy reason, enjoying the payoffs of addictions, compulsions, and a host of other destructive states. We become slaves to a plethora of little gods, thinking they willmake us happy, safe, and secure. Frightened, we follow these innumerable rabbit trails, but the farther away we get from the Great Light, the more unhappy and insecure we become. In either case, we frequently end up lost in an abyss of murky shadows, losing hope that we will ever find our way back.

Isaiah tells us, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (9:1).

Anyone who has read the Bible knows that Jesus is the Great Light. What we don’t have down is how that “Great Light” actually plays out in our lives. It is shining all the time, always has, everywhere in the universe – the darkness cannot overcome it. However, I am sad to say that none of us sees that light as constantly as it shines. No, we don’t. And we are not able to, this side of paradise, which is what makes us human. But Isaiah tells us that Jesus can shine His Light into our lives, showing us the way, helping us conquer the darkness.

I imagine most people think of Jesus walking around metaphorically with a huge spotlight, shining it into all of our dirty little crevices. I have even heard it taught that way. That could be true at times, but I’ve been a Christian for about forty years now (not counting all those years at church memorizing Scripture when I thought I was a Christian), and “the Great Light” has rarely been a spotlight. It has seemed more like a faint dot of brightness from a lighthouse seen from a ship many miles out at sea, getting clearer only after a long, long time.

The Good News, the incredibly Good News, is that the Great Light--Christ’s light --is ALWAYS there. It never, ever dies away totally because, remember, the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). So, try to search the darkness continuously – and wait. The tiniest of lights will eventually appear. Move toward it however you can. Rumi says, “If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.” Christ’s love will reach out and drag you along, most likely bringing others alongside of you to help. In less time than you might think, you will again be in the Great Light – not crawling, but dancing!

The Reluctant Prophet

Originally published April 2, 2021

I suppose Easter is the best time to begin a blog in earnest... a blog that I have been afraid to write for many years. It is a resurrection of sorts within my own soul, a coming to be of who I really am, an effort to display the vivid beauty that Christ created in me from the very beginning of my earthly existence. At 71, I know that I can’t take tomorrow for granted— no more excuses, no more delay to make whatever I write perfect, no second guessing. When I stand before Him in the end, I want to say I did what He asked me to do.

And so here we are at April 1, 2021. It is a sunny, beautiful morning here in our southern part of the world. The birds are jockeying to see who can make the loudest noise... the little brown jobs (LBJs) continue to build their nest behind the front porch lamp fixture...and the earthworms are disgruntled because I am turning the compost heap and adding more alfalfa.

I love the spring, even though the jobs in the garden seem endless. God teaches me so much every single day, and often the most useful lessons come when I do feel anxious and overwhelmed with tasks I have set for myself. He constantly reminds me that all is well, all is in perfect divine order. In other words, I can do the next thing and not worry.

Today, in the yard I slowed myself down from my normal frenetic pace to appreciate what I already had from God. I paid special attention to the shimmering light green lushness of the spring oak leaves; the shy new leaves budding on the just planted ginkgo and Japanese magnolia; the gorgeous magenta blossoms of a nameless wildflower that last year I might have pulled up as a weed. I marveled at the budding red maple seedling hugging a crepe myrtle and thanked God that in the fall I can give it a home of its own.

Such small things to notice... but so important for a driven person as I am. Peace comes in knowing that at any moment God’s work is getting done.. creation is continuing and does not need my frenzied activity to succeed. I can find satisfaction in my work without constantly worrying if I am doing enough.

Two thousand years ago today, Jesus was eating the last meal he would have on this earth with His disciples. He knew He was headed to the cross tomorrow, and, if He was truly human (which He was), He had to be wondering if His three-year ministry had been a success. While there were plenty of people appreciative of His healing, virtually no one really understood His messages, even His disciples. Surely Jesus was tempted as a human to stay longer, try harder, do more. But He trusted His Father knew exactly the right time for all things, and He submitted.

Those are my marching orders, too. I will find joy in my day’s work, then rest, then do it all over again, submitting to God’s perfect timing.

Putting On Christ

Originally published August 29, 2017

Have you ever had days when you truly wished you could transform?  I mean, leave your dysfunctional patterns in the dust and become an entirely different, better person?  I know I do all the time.  The Bible tells us that this is exactly what can happen with Christ’s help:

[You] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  (Colossians 3:10)

“Put on” here means to envelope or hide in.  In a sense, it is like putting on a garment, such as a coat.  It envelopes us and hides most of our body.  Yet, the idea of putting on Christ, or our new nature, is much more than that.  It is a subtle process, filled with mystery.  If you look for it, you won’t see it happening.  It is only after the fact, after you have done it (or it has been done to you) that you notice changes.  For I believe we don’t even do it – we allow it to be done to us by staying open to the Holy Spirit.  What God requires, He gives us the power to do, not in our own power but His.

Suppose you want to “put on the new nature” by exhibiting more of the patience of Christ.  You pray to this end.  A day does not come when balloons fall from the sky and trumpets sound a fanfare because you have suddenly “become a patient person.”  No, what happens is that one day you belatedly realize that you think differently about issues that once made you impatient.  You may treat people better – you may treat yourself better.  But try as you will, you cannot remember when, or much less how, this change came about.  But it certainly did.  People will eventually come up to you, as someone did to me, and say, “You know, you are not the person I used to know.”

The work of Christ within us is going on constantly, and it will not stop until we stand before Him.  Every time we say, “Help me, Jesus,” He listens and takes us at our word.  The Holy Spirit rolls into action and begins to change us from within.  A new spirit, Christ’s Spirit, rises unbidden in us, asking new questions, giving new sight, providing new peace and hope.  It permeates our being much as a stain sinks into new wood.  There is no space in the wood that the stain doesn’t touch.  So it is with us.  The aim here is that our old nature will be completely hidden by Christ; we will be conformed to His nature, and it will be as if He is walking around in our bodies.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17)

One of the best illustrations of this profound change is the humble chrysalis, which you see above in the masthead of my website.  A chrysalis is the structure in which a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. I’ve always loved butterflies, their carefree beauty as they randomly float around enjoying God’s nectar.  But I’ve always been impressed with the fact that their beauty comes at a price.  At some point the caterpillar spins a tight chrysalis around itself, then proceeds to dissolve inside it.  Not a single cell remains the same; it becomes a liquid, then is transformed into a new creature.

I have come to look at life as much the same process if we humans want to be new creatures.  As we are hidden with Christ in the chrysalis, we are utterly changed into a new creature.  The old passes away totally.  How long does it take?  Well, monarchs finish up in about two weeks; humans take considerably longer.  I’m 67 and still in my chrysalis, but growing, learning, transforming each day.  Some days it’s quite dark, but other days I know I see God’s glorious light in that velvet blackness.  I’d be honored if you would visit with me often here and explore living in the chrysalis and all the many ways we may become new creatures!