Have you ever wondered what Paul meant when he said we are to take off the old man/body and put on our new body in Christ? For years I struggled with trying to figure out what my old self was. Thanks to a group of friends and a study we are doing I am finally seeing Gods truth in this.
As I posted yesterday we recently saw the new Narnia movie. If you haven't seen it, hopefully this doesn't spoil part of it. Last night it finally hit me what Lewis was showing us with Eustace's transformation back to a boy. When Eustace finally gave up his life, his outcome, his will to someone else (Aslan), Aslan changed him back to a boy. The transformation wasn't without pain, though. Think about it, he was being changed, transformed, reconfigured. That is painful. But, for me I am realizing I need this pain. The reminder of where I was and what I have ahead of me. Christ is our real Aslan. He alone can transform me and you. He has taken this broken human full of despair, guilt, blame, shame, addictions, etc. and restored me to a beautiful creation. The woman and little girl He created me to be. It is so easy for me to forget this. I cry out to Jesus, "Free me Lord!" But, after I am free it is still a choice for me to stay free. Unfortunately I choose to put myself back in shackles. It is a revolving cycle. The hardest part is that the shackles are the same bondage, just different materials. My main materials are self-blame, shame, guilt, resentment, anger, fear, worry, and distorted reality. Just when I conquer one, I pick up another.
Today I am focusing on keeping my "dragon" skin off and not putting the shackles back on. This allows the Holy Spirit to completely fill me.
Blessings friends!
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