Tag: #transformed

Posted on

Boot Camp

As I navigate this season of caring for a sick parent, waiting while holding onto God’s promise of healing, I am learning that this chapter isn’t so much about the “soon-going-to-be-well” parent, but about God working in me. 

One of the things He has been working in me is the capacity for compassion at a much deeper level. When I encounter someone with a loved one who is unwell, or a person who themselves is unwell, I am filled with a deep-seated concern for their wellbeing and a desire to do something to help. That’s because I can relate to the anguish caused by caring for a sick loved one. Most often it is a brief prayer together, a call, or message to say I’m thinking of them. I find I can now empathise on a whole new scale. 

I’m aware that this is the Holy Spirit at work in me – softening my heart – so He can use me. A spiritual boot camp of sorts.

Many things about Jesus are hitting home in a new way. Here are a couple: 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” 
Hebrews 4:15 NIV
“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” 
Hebrews 2:17 NIV

Jesus came to live among us so that He could experience life as we do, and in this way be perfectly able to represent us and intercede for us before the Father. 

Now, before you go thinking that I’m anything like Jesus . . . I have not gained this increased capacity for compassion and empathy out of choice. The Lord has taken me through this season with me often kicking and screaming. I’ve been a reluctant student for the most part. But Jesus took on humanity willingly! He lived with us out of choice. This manner of love is beyond words.   

And for Jesus, it wasn’t just about going to the cross. His compassion is what led Him to heal the sick and free those under demonic oppression. Because of His great love, He wanted perfect wholeness in people’s bodies and souls. 

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” 
Matthew 14:14 NIV 

I feel like God’s promised healing (and the end of this season) is round the corner; though I could be wrong! Right or wrong, I am trusting God to give me the courage – and faith – to be more like Jesus. To show compassion by always praying for those who are unwell in their bodies or minds.

May the Lord help me! 

Posted on

Flawless

This month I’ve been reflecting on a portion of Psalm 139. I recently read the Psalm and noticed something I hadn’t seen before . . . despite this being one of my favourite Psalms!

In verses 13 and 15, it seemed to me like God was saying that He had made both my soul (created my inmost being) and my body (knit my frame) fearfully and wonderfully.

There was a time when I wished I was more outgoing and social, but that’s now in the past. However, I often look at my body and wish I was more shapely. Can you relate? Reading that my soul/personality and my body shape are wonderfully made . . . God crafted both . . . this gave me food for thought.

My personality is exactly what God wanted me to have so I could fulfil His purpose for me. Perhaps I could stretch it and say that my body shape is also part of me fulfilling all the plans God wrote concerning me in His book. This came as a shocker to me, and I must say it’s made me really re-think my view of what body shape I’d rather have. I’m having to un-do years (nay, decades!) of feeling like I got the short end of the stick when God was distributing shapely bodies!

How am I doing this?

Every morning and every night I look into the mirror and tell myself that my body and my soul/personality are fearfully and wonderfully made; specially crafted by God to enable me fulfil His mission for me on earth!

No wonder it says in Song of Songs that, 

"All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you."     
Song of Songs 4:7 NIV

Posted on

Maturing Beautifully

This past weekend I was texting with my 8-year-old niece. It has been a while since I had chatted with her via text, so I was pleasantly surprised to “hear” her sounding so much more mature. She started by apologising that she wasn’t at home the last time I visited. Then she proceeded to tell me where she was, and why she was there. Then she said she arrived soon after I left and asked me when I’d be back. She sounded so grown up, caring, and considerate! I must say I was impressed. And felt delighted to see her personality shine through in such a beautiful way.

Which got me thinking about how God sees us, His children. Is He delighted when He sees us mature and become more like Jesus? Does He smile when we speak with Him in prayer and He notices that we are growing more in love and the fruit of the Holy Spirit? I certainly think so!

I pray that the Holy Spirit will soften our hearts, so we are open to Him transforming us to be more mature believers . . . more like Jesus.

Posted on

He is at Work!  

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose.”                                               Philippians 2:13 NIV

Ever given thought to what this verse really means? Another version says “God brings forth the desire and effort.” This verse came to mind as I reflected on two conversations I had over the past two (consecutive) Fridays. These conversations revealed a new me that I was unaware existed. 

Friday One: I received a call asking me to re-send payment details for bank transfer I had done a month ago. This accountant was reconciling his books and couldn’t find the payment I made. I did as asked, then he called to say he still couldn’t find the payment. I confidently told him to check with their bank because the transaction had cleared on my end. Then, as we were speaking, I found myself saying that I too would check with my bank just to be sure. I wasn’t sure why I said that, because I had confirmed that the transaction was successful, but since I had said it, I had to check. And you know what? It turned out that the transaction was reversed into my account a day after the payment, and I missed this on my statement! So, while I was confident that I had made payment and the error must be on their end, it turned out that this wasn’t the case! I promptly called the accountant back and told him what had happened, and then I thanked God that He had kept me from being brash. 

Friday Two: A friend and I were chatting. She and I often have differing views on some aspects of how to live out our faith. On this day, our conversation veered in the direction of one of our differences. As she shared her view on a certain matter, I was surprised to find that I was unusually open to hearing and considering her view. This is in contrast to the usual <silent> opposition that would be in my heart. When I got home, I looked up a verse that we had discussed, and it ended up being that the Lord was pointing me to the part B of this verse—the part she and I didn’t discuss. I let my friend know that she was right, and again thanked God for using her to pass on a word from Him. 

On Friday One, I took note that my heart’s disposition had shifted—softened a bit—but didn’t dwell on it much. So on Friday Two I took time to compare the two conversations. My conclusion was that without my knowledge, the Lord had been working a new level of humility in me. He had been working in me the ability to “consider others as better than myself” (Philippians 2:3). And, He made this change in me without my having to do anything! 

I am reminded that for as long as we are committed to spending time in God’s presence, He will be at work transforming us, and making us more Christ-like. 

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 NIV

Posted on

Good. Perfect.

Previously, I shared some of what’s been going on . .   around me, that is. Today I’d like to share some of what has been going on in my heart. 

By now you know that songs are my go-to when I need encouragement. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the song I have on repeat isn’t a hymn! 😃 I’m listening to Sinach’s “Final Word.” It’s the first time I’ve listened to it and I love it! 

But what does “Final Word” have to do with where my heart is at the moment? 

To answer this, I’d have to take you back about a decade ago, when a friend gave me a cute Bible as a gift. To make the gift extra special, she wrote her favourite verse below my name. I excitedly turned to the verse and my excitement quickly faded and gave way to disappointment. You see, the verse was Psalm 115:3 which says,

“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.“

My outlook dimmed because the thought that God does what He wants was the least comforting thing for me to hear. Due to the depth of pain from my childhood, and seemingly endless waiting for many prayers to be answered, it felt as though God’s will was to cause me pain. To make life as difficult for me as possible. I don’t know if you can relate. 

Needless to say, I made sure not to look at the “special verse” again!

And that’s generally been my attitude regarding God’s will until yesterday. Which is when I heard a sermon that linked Psalm 115:3 to a verse I love in the book of Romans. 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 
Romans 12:2 NIV

During the sermon, it instantly clicked that what God is pleased to do is always what is good for me; what will bring perfection in me. Even when it doesn’t seem glaringly obvious. So take for instance my current situation where I am waiting on God to fulfil His word to both heal and save my dad . . . what I see at present has me strongly discouraged, but despite the emotional rollercoaster, I can be confident that if this is God’s will, then this is what is good for me at the moment. God is not out to punish me. He wants what is good for me. (Though I deeply yearn for Him to act quicker!) 

And, if the only reason that I’m having to go through this emotional rollercoaster is so I can come to this place — where I don’t see God as out to cause me pain, but rather view Him as a loving God who wants the absolute best for me — then the many tears and sleepless nights will be worth it. (Much as I really don’t like or enjoy this rollercoaster.)

So, as Sinach sings, “everything You do is good. You are God alone.” 

I suppose what’s actually unfolding in me is a step away from fear, and deeper into the knowledge of God’s love. 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”  
1 John 4:18 NIV

Finally, I must say I do not think this renewal of my mind would have happened if I had not accepted the Lord’s Triple the Word challenge. 

Glory be to God for the work He is doing, through His word, to transform me!  

Posted on

Increased Similarity

So, the other day I called a friend, and about a minute or so into our chat, I realised that the person on the line sounded like my friend, but at the same time not like her. I was extremely puzzled for a moment, then quickly put together that it wasn’t actually my friend but her 20-year old daughter! Her voice is extraordinarily similar to her mother’s, I must say. 

When I was done catching up with my friend — the real her — I found myself thinking about how alike their voices are, and was taken aback by how long it had taken me to notice the similarity in their voices. It always intrigues me to see a child and parent bear a striking resemblance or similarity in conduct! 

This thought was quickly followed by another one . . .  when people speak to me, do they hear any similarity between me and my Father in heaven? And, do I know my Father in heaven’s voice well enough to tell when it is Him speaking or the enemy lying to me? 

The first question reminded me of Jesus saying we should be like our Father in heaven – perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Now, on the one hand, I am already perfect because Jesus gave me His righteousness as a gift when I put my faith in Him as my Saviour. Yet, on the other hand, there is still some work to be done in me to make me more like Jesus so that when I speak (or act!), people can hear/see a similarity between Jesus and I. And I very much would like to be known as the girl who sounds like Jesus in her speaking and doing. 

The next question brought to mind the second beast of Revelation 13. This beast looked like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. Only one who is highly conversant with the real lamb can identify the fake one. I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to distinguish between God’s voice and the enemy’s voice. I certainly don’t want to be taking instructions from the enemy, thinking that it is the Lord! Especially today when we are surrounded by massive deception everywhere! 

Both questions have been on my mind and for the past couple of weeks. Which, I suppose is an indication that these are not actually my thoughts but a challenge from the Lord . . . 

Which is why, in response, I’ve begun to compile a list of the traits that I would like people to associate me with. My list is an opportunity to invite the Lord to work in me so I become more and more like Jesus, and noticeably so! I also see more reason to keep up my “triple the word” study because it is in knowing the Scriptures that I can be familiar enough with my Father in heaven to minimise deception, and at the same time have Him work in me so the similarity between my voice and His increases. 

As I trust the Lord to help me work through these two quests, I extend the challenge to you. All you need to do is invite Him to work in you, and co-operate with Him. After all, 

"... it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)

Posted on

Conformed or Transformed 2

Remember how I almost got married a decade ago in a bid to conform to society’s expectations? If you haven’t read part 1, start here. All caught up? Let’s continue . . .

Oddly, despite making the decision to soldier on, I continued to say a prayer that went something like — “Lord, if this guy is not the one for me, please remove him from my heart and life. Don’t let me make a mistake.” Strange, yes? God, in His mercy, answered. One day I felt something like scales fall off my eyes and simultaneously had a series of flashbacks of all the red flags I was ignoring. And boy, were they many! I saw the entirety of our dating life from a crystal-clear perspective. It was like watching a movie of someone else about to make a colossal mistake. That day, I knew I could not go ahead with the wedding. So, I called off the next visit in our cultural process. Actually, truth be told, I didn’t have the courage to outright cancel it. I instead postponed the date, without offering a new date. He knew something was wrong, but he did not make a fuss. But (and again I shake my head) I continued to date him. I didn’t have the courage to leave. He had not been unfaithful, or abusive, or any other majorly negative thing. I continually asked myself, “In what universe does a 30-something-year-old-girl call off an engagement yet the guy is faithful and honourable? What will people say?” I kept this up for perhaps a year. All the while praying for God to remove him from my heart and life. Again, like I said, God in His mercy answered my prayer. He gave me both the courage and opportunity to call it off. God even ensured my dad had my back because dad told me that it should not matter what people think of me, only that I was making the right decision. So, I called off the engagement.

I thought the shame and pain would kill me. But God! God is so faithful! I did not cry once after I called it off. Instead, I felt relieved and joyful and eager to see what God had in store for my future. I also thought He had a husband waiting right around the corner; but that’s a story for another day.  

Now that I am older, and slightly more mature in my faith, I understand that marriage should represent the love Jesus has for His bride/the church . . . it isn’t something to be taken lightly. It certainly was madness for me to want to get married just because I was getting old. At only 33! Ha! 

Like I said in part 1, I am now 43. Knowing what marriage symbolises, makes me want to go into it for the right reason, and with every intention of honouring my vows.

Some days I despair about whether it will happen. 

But then, even if I never get married, it doesn’t diminish my worth, or my love for Jesus!  I’d much rather keep being transformed than conform to society’s expectations.