I was lying in bed saying my prayers the other night and I
said something that surprised me. I was praying for many of my family, friends
and acquaintances, many of who are struggling in their faith. These are the
words that formed in my strange brain, "Lord, inside of them is a
spiritual person struggling to get out."
Isn't that true of so many of us? There is a struggle
within us to be more than we are, to have a better and stronger relationship
with our God. It is so easy for us to observe the outer person we see and
forget the ongoing struggle and the potential that is there. It's like looking
at the caterpillar before it turns into a butterfly. That caterpillar is not
the most attractive thing I ever saw, but hidden inside is that which can be
one of God's most beautiful creations.
You may be the one struggling to overcome the
"caterpillar syndrome". You may be wondering if you will ever be able
to be the spiritual person you desire so strongly to be. It is so easy to look
at others and think, "I wish I were like them," but we don't know how
they struggle or have struggled in their lives to become who they are today.
The change (metamorphosis) from spiritual caterpillar to butterfly doesn't come
easily for anyone, yet it is possible.
The apostle Paul used this Greek word
"metamorphosis", talking about our spiritual change in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 where he said:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory,
are being transformed (metamorphosis) into his image with ever increasing
glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
When you think
about the change you want for your life, don't limit yourself in the area of
time. Don't expect to be "transformed into his image" over night and
don't expect that of anyone else either. Just remember that inside of them (and
us) is a spiritual person struggling to get out. Jesus understood that also,
which is part of the power behind his words when he said in Matthew 19:26 "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible".
It may seem like a silly prayer to some, but I truly believe that inside
many of us is a spiritual person struggling to get out.
