Transformed
Recently, the ladies of our church had a wonderful conference…its theme was transformation and the sanctuary was decorated with butterflies. As we age, we transform, mainly because we mature and our needs change. But the kind of transformation brought forth from this conference was the kind for anyone of any gender or age. It’s the kind talked about in Romans 12:2, which says in part, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Do not conform to the pattern of this world…that’s hard when everything we see and hear is negative or goes against every truth that we as believers hold dear. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Skylar Walter gave a very compelling word, called “Suiting Up,” a message about putting on the full armor of God. A word she used was similar to one I’d used in my study prep for this conference and it has stuck with me. She said we must be “saturated” in the Word, so that we’ll recognize truth from lies when we’re tempted by Satan. When I was answering the question, “how can we renew our mind?” I wrote the word “steeped.” Like a bag of tea sitting in water…we must be steeped in the Word, soaking up as much of God’s truth so that we can change the world around us instead of it changing us.
Bethany Lambert delivered the last message, during which she talked about the stages of the butterfly. There’s no better visual understanding of transformation than that of the caterpillar; and the similarities of how it translates to us are amazing. The life of the caterpillar is seemingly mundane and often dangerous. It seems to have no real purpose, yet some people find them annoying so they kill them. One day, a God-designed timer must tell it that it’s time to stop eating and take a nap. The caterpillar wraps itself up tight, enclosed in a dark cocoon. When the timing is just right, the caterpillar wakes up and tries to break free from the shell it’s in. When it does, it has turned into a beautiful butterfly!
Now, put yourself in the caterpillar’s place. Sometimes we seem to wander in life, not knowing our purpose…maybe even jealous of the life others seem to have so easily. Other times, we feel like we’re in a very dark place where’s there’s no light at the end of the tunnel…a place where we might question why this is happening. We struggle to get out, but the walls we’ve built around ourselves are like a fortress. Then one day, the darkness fades and we emerge a new creation!
We are caterpillars before we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But then…hallelujah! We awaken from our pain…our struggle, shame and hurt and in our desperate hour, we cry out for help. God hears us! He transforms us, making us a new and beautiful creation.
Be TRANSFORMED! Through prayer and worship, by saturating yourself in the Word of God and arming yourself daily for battle. You may see yourself as a worthless caterpillar, but God sees you as what you can become…a beautiful butterfly!!