The theme for Week 3 is Transform Submissively. The Bible verse 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."
The version that really spoke to me was from The Message, and that is what I used on this spread.
"Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are - face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." ~ 2 Cor. 3:16-18 (MSG)
"We're free of it! All of us!" - how wonderful, how glorious! Keep your eyes fixed on God, look to Him always, and He will remove the veil. That's hard to do when circumstances, and difficulties, and hard times get in the way. But it is His promise. When I read the passage, one of the first things I thought of was a phrase from the Psalms:
"They looked to Him and were radiant"I looked it up, and the context emphasized the point. The Psalmist isn't talking about people who are living in glory - they are people in the middle of trouble, and danger, and fear.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around
those who fear Him.
~ Psalm 34:4-7 (NKJV)
Transform submissively - that's the theme this week. And maybe some of that is allowing God to do it in His way, in His time. And if that's not the way we think it's supposed to be - well, then it isn't. And if it isn't as fast as we wish it would be - well, then it's not.
Nothing between us and God. I thought of the veil of the temple - when we look to Him, He takes it away, He brings us into the Holy of Holies. Our part is to look to Him, to be present to Him, to wait for Him, to trust Him.
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of divine substance!
And transform your whole being in to the image
of the Godhead through contemplation,
~ Clare of Assisi
My vision is so small! It's so easy to focus on the struggle, on the problems, on the hurt. And God is present in the struggle, and the problems, and the hurts - that's part of the Good News. But transformation comes from sitting at His feet, basking in His presence, in His love. Learning to see with His eyes, listen with His understanding, care with His heart.
And so, for me, part of this is to look forward to a year of possibilities, of transformation, of freedom.
Image credits: images used from Rucola Designs, Tumble Fish Studio, Jagged Touch Studio, and itKuPiLLi Imaginarium - all from Mischief Circus.
