chrys·a·lis
/ˈkrisəlis/
It is derived from the greek word χρυσÏŒς (chrysós), which means 'gold.' ​When I was a kid growing up spending summers at Grandma & Grandpa's cabin, the family would go explore the dirt roads and fields surrounding our lake. We'd find dozens of monarch caterpillars awaiting their transformation along the roadside, and sometimes Mom would let us cut a branch and take it home to watch the process.
Over weeks, the chrysalis would begin to change and evolve, until it was a gorgeous gold. But the true beauty of the chrysalis isn't the thing itself, it's what is happening inside. The caterpillar is becoming something new, something much, much different.
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The Lord has been taking me on a journey over the last few weeks, of shedding my old skin and trying out new wings. I have found a secret place here in Romania to pray and commune with Him, and it has been so sweet. He has been showing me secrets about the depth of His love that I never even knew existed before. And in that, He has also been pruning, digging, and cutting off the weeds and dead branches attached to me that have not been producing fruit (see John 15).
One of the biggest discoveries has been how much value I have attached to how others 'see' me – how I am perceived by the people around me – albeit bosses, friends, peers, men, strangers… But I had this eye-opening moment. It really wasn't anything super profound, just God speaking to my heart. He said, "Do any of those people matter more than me?" And it was in that moment that I felt the weight of wanting to be nearer and nearer to Him and remove everything in between us.
Since then, I have been learning to trust His opinion more and more. We have had some sweet times together, in the quiet, and I am stretching out my wings and shedding off the chrysalis.
What I am discovering – for you, and for me – is that God wants to be first. He wants to remove any obstacle that can get wedged between your heart and His. He loves our desire for Him so much more than our sacrifices to Him, though. He is a relational Being. He desires for us to know more of His Kingdom, His movement, His grace displayed in the gift of Jesus on the cross.
1 Peter 5:6-11
2 Timothy 1:7-10
Matthew 5:13-16
