The Way to Perfection

Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception! When we look at Mary, we can see a real contrast with that of the world. She is an example of what we are capable of becoming through Christ. With the World, we are getting a full on view of what happens when people don't know or follow Christ. So much is coming to light these days! It is  God alone who makes us more fully human and when we don't follow him, we become less human and make others less human by objectifying them.

When we choose to follow Jesus and receive his life in us, we have an advocate. He is extremely patient and kind and transforms us little by little, chiseling away the rough edges like a sculptor sculpting a beautiful piece of artwork out of marble.

I was not always aware of God's transforming power. I used to be very performance driven. I thought when I decided to follow him almost 30 years ago that I had to be perfect right away. I would beat myself up and fall into despair if I would mess up and do something wrong.

Over the years, I have learned to lean back in him, let him do a work in me and try not to tell the potter he is taking too long.

Last week I even had a dream that shows how far I have come in my way of thinking. In my dream, another woman and I were put in charge of cleaning a swimming pool. The swimming pool was a real mess! The water was a putrid green and filled with debris. I knew if I just worked on it a little bit each day and put a jug of chlorine in it each day, eventually it would be crystal clear. The other woman however was very irritated and impatient. She felt it needed to be completely clean right away.

In the spiritual life, we can often become impatient with ourselves, thinking we need to be perfect right away. However, Christ is the only one capable of making us clean from the inside out. When we entrust ourselves to him, we need to trust in what he is doing and his perfect timing.

In fact he is so patient and kind, he doesn't even want to dwell on the negative stuff we are often focused on. What I have come to realize, is that if I focus on his majesty and greatness instead of my imperfections and sins, that other stuff will work itself out.

Just yesterday I was talking to the Lord about some struggles I was having. It was good I was bringing it to him but he wasn't really interested in focusing on that. Instead he was so kind and began to give me some practical advice regarding the future. 

When I was a kid, my dad had a 25 ft. sailboat. We would always go sailing on Lake of the Ozarks when we lived in Missouri or Lake Pontchartrain when we lived in Louisiana. I loved sailing! We would also anchor the boat in a cove in the Lake and sleep on the boat at night. When we were done sailing and it was time to dock the boat, it was very important to secure the ropes connected to the boat to the horn cleats that were on the dock. If you didn't secure it just right, your boat could drift away.

This is what came to my mind yesterday. The Lord was letting me know that he is like the horn cleat that we need to secure ourselves tightly to. This way, even if things get terrifying in the world, we won't drift out to sea. 

The Lord kindly keeps telling me not to be afraid of things that are to come. These things are going to be necessary in order for people to recognize their need for him and these things will lead to a harvest of souls.

I think it has become very obvious in our world, that what people need most is Jesus!

Lenten Deep Cleaning

Once we had a vacuum cleaner that would only suck up a certain amount of dirt. For some reason the dirt was not going into the canister and was only going through the hose. We kept cleaning the dirt out of the hose and it kept getting clogged up. We knew there must be a blockage somewhere that was hard to get to but we didn't have the time or energy to take the whole vacuum apart to discover where the blockage was. Finally it got rather old; vacuuming a little, cleaning out the hose, vacuuming a little, cleaning out the hose. So, we finally got out the screw driver and took apart a whole section of the vacuum. It was then that we discovered that there was a toy stuck in a very narrow section at the beginning of the hose right by the canister and it was preventing dirt from getting through. The air flow was blocked.

Often in our own lives, we keep dealing with the same sins over and over again. We even confess these sins but get discouraged when we can not seem to overcome them. Even so, we recoil at the thought of actually being still and seriously seeking God in order to discover what is in our own heart that is blocking the flow of his Spirit and the root cause of our sin. However when we finally do decide to deal with the root cause of our sin, amazingly, we feel so much better and experience a greater level of freedom in our lives. We can also once again experience God's loving presence.

Lent presents itself with a great opportunity for self-examination. An opportunity to slow down, take a step back, be still and reflect on our lives in light of the cross. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we will realize that when God seems distant, it is often because we would rather conform him to our image and likeness instead of us being conformed to his image and likeness. Being conformed to God's image and likeness requires a little effort on our part. It requires us to fast and do penance from those things that we turn to instead of God. It requires us to be willing to take a deeper look at the dirt in our own hearts. We naturally want to flinch at the idea of fasting and doing penance. Our flesh cries out and we want to run in the other direction and drown out God's voice. If we persevere however and are willing to go deep into the desert of our lives, it is there that we will find Jesus and a greater level of freedom as we allow him to get to the root of our sins instead of us just dealing with the symptoms.

Dealing with Strongholds

Eventually if we live in this world long enough we will experience hurt and disappointment. The hurts we experience in life can create unhealthy patterns and wrong ways of thinking that influences the way we act. In turn we could end up hurting others, push people away or cause unhealthy co-dependent relationships.

Romans 12:2 says, "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."

These unhealthy patterns in our life are called strongholds. They need to be pulled up by the root and replaced with truth.

So, the question is, how does this happen and how do we do this? 

It really isn't about anything we do as it is about surrendering to the work that God wants to do in us. As we meditate on God, bask in his presence, and encounter him, we learn to lean back and rest in his perfect love for us. Hebrews 12:29 describes God as an all consuming fire. As we encounter the fire of his love, just like gold when refined in the fire, the dross or impurities in our heart are brought to the surface and need to be skimmed off. 

This can be an uncomfortable process and there can be a temptation to run in the other direction. However, if we will surrender and cooperate with the hand of God, we will be transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When hurtful memories from my past come to the surface, I first reflect on whether I have any unforgiveness toward the person who hurt me and whether I need to forgive them. Sometimes this is hard to figure out so I think about how I would feel if I saw them in person. I then think about what I would want to do to that person and what I think they deserve for their actions. I then picture Jesus on the cross, taking on that punishment I think that person deserves. This usually makes me feel pretty sad to think about and makes it easier for me to forgive that person. I then repent for having ill feelings toward the person. I know I have been able to forgive that person when I can then think of them and feel no animosity and even joy at the thought of being in their presence.

Once that stronghold is uprooted through forgiveness it then needs to be replaced with truth otherwise there will still be a vulnerable hole. What I do is try to picture Jesus in that memory and ask him to show me what he was doing or saying in the situation.

I personally like when the Lord brings things into the light in my own life. First of all it means God has his eyes on me and second I get excited because I know that as I allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in me, I will be able to draw closer to him and will better be able to love other people.

Here are some  examples of some strongholds the Lord has brought to the surface recently in my own life:

When I was a kid, I got asked the same question many kids get, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" However, I never knew how to answer that question. Finally one day when I was 11 or 12  I was watching a documentary about a missionary. It was like a light bulb went on in my head and I realized that was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was so excited and ran to tell my mom. When I told her, she said, "No you don't! They get killed!" I walked away from her feeling crushed and really discouraged, dismissing that dream.

The way this experience created a stronghold in my life and set up an unhealthy pattern is by causing me to value the opinions of others over my own even if they were not true. I  also would have the tendency to base my actions on the opinions of other instead of my own, especially those closest to me. If those closest to me would disagree with a dream and a desire I had then I would dismiss it and let go of it, figuring it wasn't from the Lord after all.

Once I realized this, I invited the Lord into that memory and asked him to show me the truth. I then saw him kneel down to my level, hold my hands and tell me he was proud of me that I was in tuned to him and listening and he did have plans to use me.

Another example had to do with an authority figure. I have had a tendency to be intimidated by authority figures and fearful of being misunderstood by them. The Lord showed me a memory that helped cause this. It had to do with a meeting I had with a priest to help me deal with a certain crisis in my life. Instead he misunderstood and rebuked me. I thought about how I would feel if I saw him and realized I would probably want to give him a dirty look. I then thought about Jesus on the cross and taking on that dirty look. This made me sad and I was able to forgive that priest. I was also able to see that when this crisis was resolved soon after, it was sovereignly by the hand of God.

This process has helped me step into greater freedom and joy. That is ultimately what the Lord wants for his people. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." - Galatians 5:1. Jesus desires for us to have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10)! It is the interior freedom that comes from the process of allowing Christ to do a work in us that gives us this life full of joy!

Tiny Bubbles - A Life Transformed

One of my favorite bible verses is 2 Corinthians 3:18 - 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.

Anyone who thinks that walking with the Lord and the spiritual life is boring probably isn't serving the same God I serve or perhaps they are just not in need of as much transformation as I am. With the Lord there is never a dull moment especially as we press into the light. The more transformation a person needs, the more exciting it can be.

Now I will admit that as we press into God, we can feel a little schizophrenic at times even if we are not. As we press in, insecurities, fears, anger, depression and anxiety can rise to the surface of our heart. Darkness can seem to consume us and make us want to run in the other direction and escape to idols. When we are in that dark place, it can feel like we are being lowered into a dark well. God can seem very distant but in actuality, he is holding us so close we can not see him. If we will persevere during those times and join our sufferings to Christ, remembering that there is nothing negative we can experience that he didn't experience, especially on the cross because he took on our sin, we will be transformed from glory to glory into the Lord's image.

We can also find consolation in the fact that we are not alone. Besides the Lord experiencing this kind of darkness, so did many of the Saints. St, John of the Cross has a whole book about the 'Dark Night of the Soul'. Mother Theresa experienced it for forty years. Can you imagine the glory she is experiencing now?!

The analogy most often used to describe this process and one that is found in the bible is of gold being refined in the fire which is an excellent analogy. When gold encounters fire it causes the dross or scum to surface and then it needs to be skimmed off. In the same way as we encounter the fire of God's love (Hebrews 12:29), the impurities in our own heart will surface and need to be skimmed off. Just like the gold, as we surrender to God's love and allow him to do this work in us, we will shine brighter and be even more beautiful than before, giving greater glory to God.

Another analogy that can be used to describe this process is a bottle with a little bit of soap at the bottom. You may not even notice that there is soap in the bottom of the bottle until you pour water into it. This causes bubbles to form and rise to the surface. The only thing that will cause the bubbles to rise and come out is to continue to pour water into the bottle. Eventually the water will run clear. As we allow the water of the Holy Spirit to pour into us, imperfections will rise to the surface. As we persevere and continue to allow the water in, the imperfections will leave and we will experience more of God's presence and greater clarity in our life.

Now, it is almost not natural to put oneself in a place to experience this kind of discomfort. That is why if we are trying to walk in the light of Christ, the world will hate us. My four year old made a pretty profound statement recently as she said, "The soldiers killed Jesus because they didn't like light and Jesus is the light of the world." In John 15:18, Jesus says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." There are many who are not going to "get" us. That's okay. As we give our whole selves over to Christ whole heartily, leaving the World behind, the glory we will encounter and become will far surpass anything the world could have offered (Matthew 19:29).

Hebrews 12:1-3 - Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Heartbeat of God

2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

There is an ebb and flow in the spiritual life. As long as we are on this earth, we will always be in a process of transformation and being perfected in love. Sometimes the Lord will give us the freedom to fly for a bit but then he calls us back to himself and wraps us once again in a cocoon of grace and places us next to his heart. In the process of surrendering and placing our trust in Him we are transformed from glory to glory. We begin to see Him more clearly and know His will by getting in touch with His heartbeat. The more we become familiar with the heartbeat of God, the more effective we will be in advancing the Kingdom. We will also become better intercessors and better ambassadors of his love. It is then that we see our prayers being answered.

I think often we do not see an answer to our prayers because we do not have a clear understanding of who God is and what his will is. Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing and he was often moved by true compassion that comes from God. The way he knew what his Father was doing and knew God's heart is because he had a relationship with him and often got away on his own to pray (Luke 5:16).

Our vision of God, the Father is often tainted. We might not have a problem viewing God as a father, but we often view him as a strict father withholding gifts from his children. We go to prayer and we beg Him for His intervention in different situations, not truly understanding his nature of limitless mercy and grace.

 Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not  your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways" declares the Lord.

In order to know his thoughts and his ways we need to lean our head against his chest like St. John and learn what makes His heart beat. 

I am reminded of a story the late John Wimber told in his book Power Healing. He was a pastor and from his study of scripture, he concluded that it was an act of obedience to pray for healing for people even though he felt he often lacked faith for it. After every service he would call people forward who needed healing. He and a team of leaders would pray for the sick. Out of an act of obedience he prayed for people week after week but no one was healed, in fact members of the prayer team were catching colds and viruses from the people they were praying for. His faith for healing was at an all time low when he received a call from a man whose wife had the flu. He needed John to come over and pray for healing for his wife because he had a new job and could not stay home to take care of the children and he could not find a babysitter. John obliged but said to God,

"God...look what you've got me into this time. This guy really believes this stuff. He's going to lose his job, or I'm going to have to take care of his kids today."

John arrived at the house and the situation looked even worse than he expected. The wife was bedridden and looked pretty sick. John laid hands on her and said a quick prayer of healing and then turned toward the husband to explain why some people do not get healed. As he was doing this, the wife stood up. She had been healed!

John left the house and in the car ride on his way home he proclaimed, "We got one God!!!"   John then saw a vision:

Suddenly in my mind's eye there appeared to be a cloud bank superimposed across the sky. But I had never seen a cloud bank like this one, So I pulled my car over to the side of the road to take a closer look. Then I realized it was not a cloud bank, it was a honeycomb with honey dripping out on to people below. The people were in a variety of postures. Some were reverent; they were weeping and holding their hands out to catch the honey and taste it, even inviting others to take some of the honey. Others acted irritated, wiping the honey off themselves, complaining about the mess. I was awestruck. Not knowing what to think, I prayed, "Lord, what is it?"

 He said, "It's my mercy, John. For some people it's a blessing, but for others it's a hindrance. There's plenty for everyone. Don't ever beg me for healing again. The problem isn't on my end, John. It's down there."

The key to intercession, praying for people and serving others is first getting in touch with God's heart regarding the person. Instead of begging God to intervene on our behalf, we join our hearts with His heart and our prayers with His prayers. We join with Him in what he is already wanting to do. Let us surrender more fully to the Lord whose love is perfect and complete for us; whose mercy and grace is limitless! Let us lean against his chest and hear his heart beat and then let us go and share his heart with others!

Love Always Wins!!!

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend. She was going through some very difficult trials and was wondering if the source of her trials was just natural occurrences, the enemy or trials from the Lord. This really got me thinking. I am not so sure that the source of our trials is all that important. What is most important is our response to trials. Also, when we go through hardship in life, we can assume it is the enemy trying to prevent us from doing something God wants us to do. God however is not so much concerned with the things we end up doing as he is interested in who we become. His main goal for each one of us is to transform us into the image of Christ and to perfect us in love. Sometimes this is best accomplished through the trials of life that he allows. When we choose to join our trials and sufferings to the cross of Christ then his will for us is always accomplished; we are transformed more fully into the image of Christ and love wins. When we are transformed and perfected in love, we can not help but have a positive impact on others and advance the Kingdom. Even if it was the devil trying to thwart God's plans, he never wins.

There are times in our life when we might deliberately or unknowingly take a detour and find ourselves on the wrong path in life. If we repent and get back on the right path, nothing is wasted. "All things work for the good of those who love God." - Romans 8:28. He can use whatever repentant sins, mistakes, or circumstances we find ourselves in for a greater good and our transformation.

We are all at different stages in our walk with the Lord and transformation. If we compare this process with the life span of a butterfly, some of us are in the larvae stage, some caterpillars, some are resting in a cocoon of grace, some Monarch butterflies and so on. Recently I was in prayer and I saw a vision of a beautiful, almost metallic blue butterfly and I felt like the Lord said, "Seek to become the most beautiful of butterflies." I actually Googled, "most beautiful butterfly" and a metallic blue butterfly was the first and most common one that came up. I was then reminded of a vision I had once of the Blessed Mother. She was dressed in the same color blue. She had twinkling lights all over her cloak and these twinkling lights were coming off her mantle and turning into butterflies that were the same color blue. She was taking great delight in these butterflies as they were flying around her and landing on her finger. It then occurred to me that Mary's blue mantle/cloak might actually represent the Holy Spirit and the twinkling lights, the potential of what men can become. In Luke 1:35, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will conceive Jesus when the Holy Spirit overshadows her. It would make sense that in her glorified state, the Holy Spirit would continue to overshadow her. We are called to clothe ourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27, Romans 13:14). When we hide ourselves under Mary's mantle, we are really clothing ourselves with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Of course this is not the only way but I am thinking it might be the quickest and easiest way. Mary is the crown of creation! She is the perfect example of who we are to become like! It doesn't hurt to look towards and imitate her. She especially is clothed with Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we place ourselves under her mantle and allow ourselves to be clothed with the Holy Spirit, Christ is conceived in us and transforms us from the inside out. Through our sacrifices of love joined to the cross of Christ, let us allow God's grace through the Holy Spirit to form us more completely into his beautiful image!