Transfiguration

“There he was transfigured before them.” (Mark 9:2 NIV)

These days, the word ‘transformation’ is used to describe everything from cosmetic changes to home redecorating. Every time we lose a few pounds, get a new hair color, or experience something new--we claim to be transformed. The over usage of this word has diminished its impact. Self-actualization, a similar concept, was made popular by psychologist Abraham Maslow. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, once our basic needs are met, we have a desire to achieve our full potential--to become self-actualized.

Fortunately, the word ‘transfiguration’ has not yet been usurped by popular culture. What does it mean to be transfigured? How is it different from transformation or self-actualization?

Self-actualization calls us to fulfill our human potential. Transformation requires us to change. Transfiguration, on the other hand, necessitates the shedding and peeling away of our human exterior. God’s sphere of influence extends further when we live in ways that reveal His glory. God’s kingdom comes to earth when we operate more from our spiritual nature than merely from our human nature.

Lord, may we shed everything that covers up Your Spirit within us.

God Thing

“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV)

Recently, young people all over the world have become obsessed with a game called Pokemon GO. This downloadable app uses augmented reality to incorporate actual surroundings through the use of GPS and a phone’s camera. This game allows players to see virtual characters on their device screens as if they were right in front of them.

A friend of mine recently commented on how she notices ‘God things’ frequently. Miracles of all magnitude, revelations of God’s presence and power, are prevalent in our daily lives. However, many of us fail to recognize these supernatural manifestations. We may acknowledge that something is unusual, but it doesn’t register in our minds as a ‘God thing.’ Thus, we miss opportunities to encounter and experience God. Our rational minds are not equipped to perceive the mystical. We must ask the Spirit of God to come down upon us. Then, our spiritual senses become activated. We start noticing God’s fingerprints everywhere--in the surprising beauty of nature, in the joy of relationships, in the clarity of sudden insights, in small but significant coincidences, and in the resolution of seemingly impossible problems. As we learn to recognize the signs, our excitement and interest in the search intensifies. The more we seek, the more we find. The more we ask, the more we are given. The more we knock, the more doors are opened. In due time, our focus shifts from our circumstances to recognizing God in our midst.

I pray that we may seek the Lord and His strength continually.

Living Within Margins

“Make the border a handbreadth wide all around it...” (Exodus 25:25 MSG)

Are you one of those people who leaves wide margins when you write? Or do you write all the way to the edges, filling up every inch of the page? A page with margins on all sides is easier to read. It also allows some space for additional notes, comments, and corrections.

Does your daily life have margins? Do you create buffer spaces around your time, energy, finances, and other commitments? Or do you believe that to be wasteful and inefficient?

Creating wide margins and living within them actually make your life more organized and effective. Even more importantly, it allows some space for you to notice God’s notations and corrections. Opportunities for spiritual understanding shrink when you are overwhelmed and stressed. We all have limited reserves. Thus, it is important to be selective when deciding what to include and what to exclude. Don’t fill up every inch of your life with pleasures, distractions, and projects. Leave plenty of space for Divine input.

Lord, help me to leave plenty of space for YOU to work in all areas of my life. May I notice your notations and corrections, hear your instructions, and make necessary changes.

Embarrassed

“If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man.” (Mark 8:38 MSG)

Teenagers are often embarrassed to be seen with their parents. My son was no exception. When we would go to the grocery store, he would either be way ahead or lag way behind. Since my son always pushed the shopping cart when he was with me, this quickly became inconvenient. I would pick up several items that we needed, and he would be nowhere to be seen. I have walked around with a gallon of milk, looking for my son and his cart. I have dropped items as I try to balance several items in my arms. I have  called out his name across the aisles of the supermarket as I searched for him. All this unnecessary awkwardness could have been avoided if he would have just stayed close by my side.

Our desire to seem worldly, sophisticated, independent, and relevant often drives us to put some space between us and God. However, our Father wants us to stay close and receive His blessings. He calls out to us when we wander off, but we are often too far away to hear Him. When we refuse to associate with Him, when we are embarrassed to be seen with him, when we pretend we don’t even know Him, we miss out.

Father, grant us the maturity and desire to remain close to You at all times and at any cost.

Home

“God, it seems you’ve been our home forever.” (Psalm 90:1 MSG)

What comes to mind when you think of home? Is it a place? A person? A feeling?

I do not claim a city as my hometown, since I’ve lived in many places. My current house has been my longest dwelling and my favorite place thus far. But home is more than just a building or a place. My husband, my son, my dog, my friends, my sister--these are the people with whom I can be myself. They accept me ‘as is’--I don’t feel the need to prove myself worthy in order to win their love and approval. Thus, when I am with these people, I feel at home...to a certain extent. As soon as something disruptive happens, the sanctity of my sanctuary is breached; I become a refugee seeking a new refuge.

The concept of home evokes feelings of security, stability, love, acceptance, privacy, peace, comfort, and familiarity. Most of us keep searching for this elusive feeling of belonging. We imagine that this can be found in certain locations or with like-minded people. We may experience moments where we feel at home, but rarely do they last. This is because this world is not our home. We may have glimpses of what it means to feel unconditional love and acceptance, vague impressions of grace that is yet to be fully experienced. There is a reason for that sense of displacement we feel. Like salmon and sea turtles, we seem to be imprinted with a deep memory of the moment we were created. Before we were born on this earth, we knew God and were known by God. Our souls have experienced unconditional love and acceptance. This drives us to keep seeking God, who has been our home forever.  We long to go back  where we belong.

“You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You.” (St. Augustine)

Thresholds

“As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5 NIV)

Liminality is defined as the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage. It is the condition of being on a threshold or at the beginning of a process. We have all experienced transitions--from childhood to adulthood, from student to worker, from employed to unemployed, from single to married, from married to divorced, from young to old, from strong to weak, from rich to poor, from being needed to no longer relevant...

"Liminal space is an inner state and sometimes an outer situation where we can begin to think and act in genuinely new ways. It is when we are betwixt and between, having left one room or stage of life but not yet entered the next. During this graced time we are not certain or in control. This openness allows room for something genuinely new to happen. We are empty and receptive. Liminal space is where we are most teachable." —Richard Rohr

Transitional phases make us vulnerable. The uncertainty and discomfort often cause us to linger undecidedly on the threshold.  Should we go back to the familiar or move forward into the unexplored? The unknown is always a bit scary. It takes courage to knock on strange doors, assertiveness to negotiate entry, and a willingness  to learn and adapt once you are inside.  This process is not always smooth and simple. Many of us clumsily trip over the threshold or are forcibly pushed from behind by circumstances. This usually results in a less than graceful entrance into new phases.  However, there is another option. We can trust Christ, our Bridegroom, to carry us over each threshold. We can acknowledge our insufficiency while recognizing His capability. We can submit to His power. We can cling to Him in faith and love.  

Lord, may we trust you to carry us and our loved ones across the thresholds of life.

Ephphatha!

“Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!” (Mark 7:34-35 NLT)

Last year, my husband and I were stuck in a traffic jam for over two hours. Some sort of accident up ahead blocked everything for miles. We couldn’t even see what was happening; all we could do was wait and hope that things would clear up eventually.

Most of us have experienced professional, financial, emotional, relational, and spiritual blockages. We get stuck in situations that seem to have no outlet. We can’t see what’s ahead, and we don’t know how long we will remain in this state of stagnation. This leads to confusion, frustration, and discouragement.

We fail to remember that we have a Lord who says: ‘Ephphatha--be opened.” He opens the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind. He opens our minds so that we may understand. He unblocks the path ahead and leads the way. Jesus also said that we may ask for anything in His name and He will do it (John 14:14). Thus, whenever we face any sort of obstruction, we can boldly pray:

Ephphatha--be opened! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.