I have the power to transform a life!
Consider the analogy of the butterfly: often it is used to draw a comparison of what a person goes through when they become one of My children. At first, something unattractive marred by sin, then through the process of metamorphosis becomes something new, something beautiful. With brightly colored wings caught in a breeze, this once dim creature has the ability to flutter about, enjoying the new stage she has entered.
Though being a caterpillar, which at first suited her just fine, she soon realized there was more which lay before her. So she started spinning, wrapping a tight cocoon about her, then hid inside until the perfect time of release had arrived; waiting patiently, not moving forward until she knew it was time to come forth. Any earlier and her development would not have been able to sustain her at this new level of life. Her wings would not have been able to carry her forward providing the momentum needed to properly cultivate the garden where she had been placed.
This is how it is with My children, at our first encounter a change happens, although not immediately recognized from the outward appearance. Their shift in behavior was the telling sign that an inward transformation has begun. For these who were thought to be quite common, have had something extraordinary happen, and are now moving forward in their new identity; shedding off their old self through growth and renewal, not content to remain the same. So through a steady intake of My presence, they are given what is needed to flourish at this stage of development, learning as they go about what it is to live as one of My chosen; encountering some challenges along the way as My Spirit continues to beckon them forward, drawing them to the place where significant transformation is able to happen.
Therefore, I desire My children to understand the deeper correlation between this metaphor and their spiritual transformation… for there are times when I hide them away as if placing them in a cocoon. This is indeed something needed, for in that space, newness is able to happen much faster, though many cannot comprehend the sudden variation, and only see the alteration as confinement, not realizing I have hidden them away for a period of time in a space of intense cultivation. It is not a punishment, as if they had done something wrong, setting them aside in the corner to learn a lesson about good conduct. Yet, some view it this way, thinking augmented behavior (by becoming more pleasing) will set them back into their usual flow with Me.
Then there are those who want to run ahead, looking to find the way of early release, who think themselves ready to step into what lies ahead. They too cannot see the benefits of being hidden, cannot recognize that spiritual growth is the one thing which will sustain them at the next level of partnership with Me. So they try to break free using their own merits, wanting to push their way forward. But I simply won’t allow it, for I have them placed right where I desire, waiting for them to settle into this place of rest. Once their soul is quieted down, they will then be able to see I have intentionally withheld them.
While in this place of “hiddenness”, just like in the cocoon, at first glance the journey may appear to have been halted, with nothing much happening. But to the keen observer (those who can discern beyond the outer shell) they know the one being constrained is going through an alteration, a reworking of understanding. And when this one emerges it will be on My terms, for I know the exact time when their development has peaked, which will transition them to the point of breakthrough, equipped to partner with Me in a whole new way and stand in the calling I have placed over them.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
(Received: 8/15/2018)