Patience and a plan

     Many years ago a friend of mine began a total renovation of his house. There was a problem though. He, his wife and two kids had  to live somewhere while the renovation was going on. I'm almost certain my husband and I, even by ourselves, would not have the strength to do what they did. They bought a used pop up trailer and lived in it for over a year while every inch of their home was gutted and rebuilt. I am not sure what to call that but it certainly shows faith and vision in what the end result was going to be. In fact, it was quite beautiful when it was finished.

      Then I thought of a cocoon that I came across while biking around the island one day. I wonder if the caterpillar has an awareness of what is going on?  Is there a sense of patience? Does it know what is coming, the struggle and then the glorious birth of him/herself as a butterfly? 

       Lastly, I thought of myself, and the kitchen renovation I undertook many years ago.  The project took two years.  While contracting out to several professionals, family and friends, I undertook a total metamorphosis of the space that included my living room, my dining room and the kitchen. Raising the roof, knocking down walls, inserting sky lights, enclosing appliances.  It was touch and go at times for sure as we lived among the debris, sheetrock dust, bare floors and studs. What we wound up with was a magnificent open space with high end appliances that fit who I am as a cook. Truth be told, I think my real calling is not cooking, but eating! But I digress.  There was my idea, a vision and a plan and an execution. It was beautiful.

        Today's passage is very similar to all three of these stories. Perhaps there are times when we feel trapped in a cocoon and life seems to be nothing but the struggle to get out. In case you don't know it, like a baby in the womb, if the moth/butterfly emerges prematurely, it almost certainly dies.  Patience is not one of our strongest virtues it seems. We all want to run even before we learn to walk.  We want the mercedes even before we have the money to pay for it. But patience is a virtue we must cultivate in ourselves. We must have that same vision and the same kind of plan I had to create such a beautiful personal kitchen but for entire life. Not just for this life, but for our eternal life most especially.

          We need to know in our heart and fight with our strength to become the magnificent, awe inspiring butterflies we all are,  just waiting for the day to emerge. We will see glimpses of it, we will also see struggle, fear and pain at times. What we have waiting for us, as Christ made possible for us,  is eternal happiness and joy, life in the arms of our creator at the proper time.

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.