(I) Caterpillar vs Butterfly
The word 'enbloc' came to my mind a few weeks back but I had a feeling that it has nothing to do with the the estate I am living in.
On Sat(10/11/07), my leader was sharing with me about the crack in her wall which was only plastered recently. I asked her why so fast got crack one??? Her answer to me was the wall is old. That answer stayed in my mind. On Sunday morning, Pastor Randy Hurst was preaching but I could not quite understand what he was trying to put across and I asked God.. what is it that He is trying to tell me thru this Pastor. Then something caught my attention. He said this is a year of transformation and he mentioned that transformation is like caterpillar becoming a butterfly. A caterpillar does not look like a butterfly at all. I do not know if cocoon feels pain but I think it must be very boring being stuck inside and I think when it is ready to come out, it takes great effort for the butterfly to break free. If we try to help by cutting open, the butterfly will never be able to fly and it will die prematurely. I suppose this process is painful.
If the butterfly persevere in "pushing", it's wings will be strengthen and instead of crawling, it will be flying. Instead of dying, it is given a new lease of life.
(II) Enbloc vs Renovation
It was then the word "enbloc" together with what my leader said about the wall came to my mind. It was as if God was telling me.. I have been using my own "intelligence" and the "means"(activities/friends) I know to "renovate(plaster)" my cracked heart . But the condition of the heart remains(as I was merely running away) tho on the surface it was well plastered. When "bad" things hit me again, my cracked heart "reveal" her true condition.
"Renovation" is a quicker and easier process but that is not what God wants me for me cos "plastering" only gives me a nice mask to hide the pain. If I allowed Him to "enbloc" - remove the old and give me the new, tho it is a long and difficult process, the end result will be new structure(new "belief system", new heart and new spirit). Also, I believe for an estate to be enbloc, the owners will pay to top up the lease for the land and so it is as if the lease for that land starts from year 0 again and I suppose if I allow God to enbloc, a new lease of life cos the new structure is built upon the Rock that cannot be shaken
(III) Eagle
Someone on Tuesday(13/11/07) reminded me that for an eagle to live to 70 years, in its 40s, it has to make a hard decision - to die or to go through a painful process which lasts 150 days.
The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its' nest There the eagle knocks its' beak against a rock until it plucks it out After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its' talons When its' new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its' old-aged feathers And after five months, the eagle takes its' famous flight of rebirth and lives for ... 30 more years
To live another 30 years, it has to go through 150 days of pain and fears(time when it is so vulnerable to attacks). Having gone through that 150 days, a new lease of life is given to the eagle.
(IV) My old mobile phone
It has been "silent" on me - no ringtone, cannot put on loudspeaker - for several weeks and I was kind of "giving" up hope and planning to get a "cheap" m/phone to replace it as I keep missing calls.
Yesterday(15/11/07), when I was holding my m/phone, I thought it feels like something is loose inside. So, I hit it against my palm a few times and then kept it in my bag.
About half an hour later, I heard a familiar ringtone. Hmmm... my phone "sings" again. Wow... after a few "hard knocks(tho it was me who suffers the pain and not the phone), my phone is given a "new lease of life"(tho... I dun know it will be for how many days/months/years).
Pain is something that I dislike to have as a "friend" but sometimes it is after going through this pain, having developed strength and character etc, a new lease of life is given.
Hmmm... it reminds me of Songs of solomon 2 : 11-12
See! the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
Will we allow God to bring me through it and live to tell of the Glory of God with the new lease of life He will give???
