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Treasures

The Metamorphosis Of Life

by Corine Channell August 11, 2019

One of the most pressing thought processes I have been mulling over in my mind (over and over and over) is the seasons of life. Our life is governed by seasons whether we notice them, embrace them, run from them, or totally ignore them.

When my grandson was in grade school he was asked to define ‘seasons’. He didn’t pause, and simply said,”Deer season. Turkey season. Rabbit season. And walleye season.” (clearly his dad is an avid hunter.) Well, the Bible has some pretty well known verses on seasons; so well known that a rock band in the 60’s wrote a song about it. You may or may not have heard of The Byrds and their hit song “Turn, Turn, Turn”. Some of the words in their song and quoted from the book of Ecclesiastes – “To everything (turn, turn, turn). There is a season (turn, turn and turn). And a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die. A time to plant, a time to reap. A time to kill, a time to heal. A time to laugh, a time to weep.” This 60’s song is a song stuck in the brain of the baby boomers as a solid life lesson we either paid attention to, or missed.

To everything there is a season. Everything. Think about our natural four seasons – they follow each other and are connected to each other. The seasons for the most part, follow a pattern and are dependable and predictable. By definition: “Seasons are the four weather dividers in a year, vary significantly in characteristics, and can prompt changes in the world around them.” In that definition what stands out to me is that seasons can prompt changes in the world around them.

The seasons of our life.

Let’s just think about the seasons in our life; the events or circumstances that happen and change our lives as well as change US!

We all love and cherish the seasons of success, joy, renewal, and all things warm and cozy. No one really enjoys the seasons of failure, pain, destruction, and all things messy and messier. Having lived thru all of the above – good and bad, I have come to understand that they are all connected and the bad seasons do NOT last forever. That is hard to believe when you are in the throes of pain or loss. Just ask Job. His life went from absolutely wonderful, to disaster on every level.

What about the unexpected?

What to do during the prompt changes seasons will bring about in your life? First of all, it’s sometimes good and necessary to just do nothing. Just be still. It is those crazy sporadic ideas we get in our heads (caused from panic) during hard times, that can stunt our growth for the NEXT season to come. If you feel like you could spin out of control, rein yourself in and just stop. Find a refuge for your soul and hide yourself there.

Stop. Breathe. Be still. Wait.

Seasons change – remember that. True, it can take much longer than you wish (I had horribly painful Shingles for 3 months and I would rather have had 6 more children!), but it does pass and it will change.

God makes beauty from ashes.

Metamorphosis

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful in its own time.” There is beauty in everything as it comes into its own fullness and purpose. Some of my own darkest times have uncovered the most valuable treasures. “I [God] will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places – so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons YOU by name.” (Isaiah 45:3) SO much cool truth in that scripture.

Flowers, babies, butterflies, diamonds – all things that begin in a season of darkness before coming into their FULL purpose. Flowers are first seeds (and let us not forget as they fall into the ground, they die) buried in the dark suffocating earth. Babies are first a seed in a mother’s dark suffocating womb. Butterflies are first caterpillars tightly wrapped in dark, suffocating cocoons. Diamonds are first chunks of dirty coal way down deep in dark suffocating mines. ALL this beauty is stored in secret places, to be uncovered in their time.

The thing about seasons – ALL seasons – the ones in the natural and the ones in the spiritual, they change. It is the very nature of seasons. We must learn to embrace each season as it comes, and goes. We must look for the treasures of darkness and uncover valuable life lessons so we can grow and change. We must learn to trust the God who summons us by our name, realizing His ultimate goal for each of US to to make US beautiful in OUR own time.

August 11, 2019 1 comment

Articles

Recycled Masterpiece

by Corine Channell February 21, 2019

written by Corine Channell

Nowadays, the garbage collectors don’t just pick up your garbage, they also pick up your recyclables. They encourage you to separate the two – the garbage and the items that can be used again – or recycled. Hmmm. I have seen myself in that recycle bin.

What we think is meant to destroy us, can be turned into our greatest purpose.

Or shall I dare say – repurpose!

Let’s talk recyclables. A can that once held baked beans is now empty of beans. So we used to just toss that can away and it just went to a landfill along with other “has beens” and “used to be full ofs”. Ever felt like that yourself? I have!

To recycle means: “To convert waste into usable material, reuse, recover, reclaim, use again, salvage, save.” Ooooooooh, I like ALL those definitions. So put your own life in the place of that bean can – maybe you have seen some stuff; been some places; felt like it was “over”; it seemed time and answers had run out. You’ve become an empty can that once held hickory smoked baked beans (so to speak). WELL, in the hand of THE great recycler, God, He can and WILL reuse you, recover you, reclaim you, use you again, salvage you, and SAVE you. Oh man, the hope of this is beyond just doing a regular happy dance – I could dance my way through 6 foot high snowdrifts in a blizzard, knowing this!

The word recycle in verb form means: “to pass again through a series of changes or treatments; such as – to process something such as liquid body waste, glass or cans in order to regain material for human use.” (Amazing).

Let’s talk about glass (which I break often. Sadly true.) Did you know that glass bottles and jars are 100% recyclable and-and-and THIS – (ready? THIS is the best part) – “and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality.” WHAT? You need to read that again. “and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in purity or quality.”

So many times (too many times) we get caught up and consumed by our own flaws and failures, and all the “coulda, shoulda, wouldas” and the excruciating emptiness we have inside. The enemy of our soul relentlessly barrages us with attacks of shame, and regret, and guilt. We can feel like we have done something so despicable that we set the planet off its orbit and it’s not fixable. All hope is gone. Or am I the only one who ever entertained that lie? Yes, it is a lie. On our own we can’t put broken glass back together, or find lost purity, or innocence stolen from us. BUT GOD CAN. Remember, “…recycled endlessly without any loss of purity or quality.” And that fact just comes from broken glass, people! How much more important and valuable is a human soul, to the God who created it???

All my hope comes from my trust that the God who made me, will finish what He started in me – that He will recycle me endlessly and as much as I need. He will change me through series of treatments. He will mold me, shape me, and in the recycling comes the purpose and the final perfection. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Ephesians 2:10)

Say it with me and be very excited, “I AM a recyclable! I have such great worth that God would take the time and the effort to make my life over again.” (and over, and over, and over…)

“The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” (Psalm 138:8)

I hope you can begin to see yourself the way God sees you. It is truly a beautiful thing. You are a recycled masterpiece!

February 21, 2019 0 comment

Articles

Are We Any Different Than The World?

by Jennifer Workman November 9, 2018

written by Jennifer Workman

As I sit and contemplate the times that we live in, I am constantly reminded that, “There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) We, as people, have not changed that much from the way we were in the beginning. Similarly today as it was in history, the focus is on financial attainment, popularity, relationships and many other “worldly examples”.

The things that we as people gravitate towards and perceive as great accomplishments, achievements, and successes in life are viewed differently by our Heavenly Father. The world’s mentality is to “acquire all that you can, doing what you can” but, the Word of God tells us, “What profit is it to man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

We have more at stake than just gathering up things in this life

Our spiritual well-being and where we spend eternity is the more pressing issue. That is why we, as children of God, need to be better representatives to the world and how we represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can’t get so caught up in the world’s system that we “water down” the Gospel of Jesus Christ to become popular, or be seen as “politically correct”.

For Jesus states in the Word, “Whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) When people see us, they need to see Jesus exemplified through our lives and that is not through our own efforts or trying to make ourselves appear “spiritual” before people, but, it is dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit to shine through our lives and help us walk as children of light.

So as you go through your daily life ask yourself this question, “Am I any different than the world? Am I making it my aim to be about my ‘Father’s business’ or am I, like others, focused on myself and my own selfish ambitions?”

People are dying all around us everyday. Even though many people may not be considered physically dead many people are considered the “walking dead.” They are the “walking dead” because they are living in spiritual darkness without God as a part of their lives.

So, my prayer is that we as people that have ourselves been “the walking dead” and saved by God’s grace and love, will make it our objective to better represent God in our daily lives. We will be passionate about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, so that they may, “Have life and that more abundantly through Christ Jesus.” (John 10:10)

This article was written by Jennifer Workman of Simply Victorious Ministries.

November 9, 2018 0 comment