A Favorite Christmas Gift ... Insects! (Part IV - Transformation Series)

I am the only person I know who received insects for Christmas. Yes! My son thought I'd enjoy watching some caterpillars crawl their way up into a chrysalis ... en route to becoming butterflies. So here's what he got me.

A perfect gift! I'm always mesmerized by watching this process, so I thought I'd share it with you as 2016 gets going. After all, we all have something that needs to be transformed in this new year. I know you agree.

So my caterpillar friends arrived with plenty of food carpeting their cup home. All we had to do was watch them grow, which is a good thing. I don't really like caterpillars. They crawl around, eat, and grow. That's about it. Yet, what comes next is pretty remarkable.

Satisfied with their earth-bound meals, and perhaps recognizing that's all the ground has for them, the plump caterpillars leave behind what's familiar for high places. There they hang for days ... waiting ... making observers wonder if they've just dried up, never to open, or if perhaps they'll emerge one day.

In the waiting, we invariably notice something new. This time I noticed caterpillar parts left behind on the ground and walls. Some parts had to be shed and left behind before entering the chrysalis. I know you also agree there's much food for thought in that as we consider our areas of needed transformation.

After days of waiting patiently, here's how our friend looked right as it emerged from the chrysalis: wrinkled and small. Yet, after a few minutes of pumping the unused wings, they straightened and opened in all their colorful splendor! Amazing.

The process of watching a crawling caterpillar transform into a flying butterfly is always full of surprises. My greatest discovery this time was the beauty and attention to detail evident on the back of the butterfly's wings. On the painted lady butterfly, the back of the wing is stunning. A rainbow of color is hidden on the part of the butterfly we often don't even see.

I can picture God's fingers meticulously adding a bit of blue here, some red there, then orange and yellow and green. So much more than I'd ever seen on this butterfly, miraculous if we consider that the caterpillar that became a chrysalis had only one color: black.

My winged friends teach me so much about life and about myself. Here are just a few thoughts as the New Year takes flight.

* Sometimes life and beauty are hidden, though very present. We need to pay attention to see and perceive it.
* Often what is dried up and looks dead has life within, waiting to be nurtured, discovered, and expressed.
* The process of transformation takes time. Patience is needed ... for the one being changed and for the one observing and hoping for change in someone else.
* When we're tired of crawling around empty grounds, heading upward holds great promise of new life. If life feels empty, look up and start the upward journey. New life awaits at new heights, and it is the climbing that strengthens your wings!
* Seasons of slow crawling are often essential to the growth that's needed. Without the caterpillar, there is no butterfly.
* Life is a beautiful miracle.
* Transformation is always worth the wait.

Ponder with me: What must I leave behind so I may embrace the new and rise higher in 2016?

Pray with me: As this new year begins, may I have the wisdom to recognize areas of needed change, the courage to rise above my circumstances, and the ability to trust that God — the Giver of life — knows me, loves me, and is always in control.

New Year Blessings!
Dr Mari

* For more of this series on transformation, read Be Still And Know for Part I, Baggage-free Flying for Part II, and Hope Flies Despite Broken Wings! for Part III. *

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Living on Mission: A Look Back (Part II)

Years ago, my life was transformed after meeting one woman. I don't know her name. I can't even remember what she looked like. But I'll never forget what meeting her accomplished in me.

During my second medical mission trip to Guatemala, after treating hundreds of people one after another, our clinic day was almost over. While I felt exhausted physically but invigorated in my soul with a deep sense of accomplishment and joy, a young woman sat in front of me and smiled nervously. With impressive skill and heartwarming trust, she summarized her life story and current challenges in a brief yet thorough and impactful way.

I got it quickly. I saw into her soul and felt her pain.

Her story included mental illness, physical exhaustion, endless demands on her time as a single mom, and domestic abuse. I quickly summoned in my mind the various resources I knew were available within her community, and ensured good follow-up for her once our brief time together was over.

While she shared her story, I felt overwhelmed. In a continuous inward gaze to God, I prayed while she spoke.

"He hit me and I ran away," she shared of years ago. (Lord, please keep her strong as she raises her children alone.)

"I work the fields now and the kids eat every day. (Oh, I thank You, Lord! Please continue providing for them.)

"But now that I'm sick, I don't know what to do." (Lord, what can I possibly do for this mother when our mission ends tomorrow? Why have me hear this when there's so little I can do?)

Pray with her. Offer to pray with her.

God's voice came, as so often happens, in a whisper — like a soft, soothing rain. My reply was more like a raging storm! 

(Pray with her? I've never done that! Lord, that's not what we do. I'm a doctor, you know. We're supposed to leave our faith on the other side of our exam room door.)

Well, in Guatemala there were no doors. On mission, there was no wall separating my personal faith from my professional practice. Somehow, a certain courage came over me to stop being two different people, leaving the best part of me outside of my relationship with those I seek to help.

Still caught up in a heavenly gaze, I spoke to the soul before me.

"I am so sorry for all you've been through, and I'm so proud of you and your courage in sharing your story. The truth is, I'm not sure how I can help you, but I know the One who can."

And then, the words that changed my life slipped through my lips unto her heart — and mine!

"Would it be okay if I pray with you?"

She looked surprised and excited. Her eyes lit up, and she sprung up and took my hands. Clearly, even the mention of faith and God empowered her like none of my words had. She was in her element. In an instant, hope arrived.

So I, too, rose from my chair (and from my previous life!) and began to pray with simple words, asking our God to guide her steps, guard her heart, and heal her soul. I asked God to bring the right people to help her once our team left. And I thanked God for giving her courage and strength.

I offered a short, heartfelt prayer. And before I was able to speak my Amen!, she shocked me.

She began to pray for me in our native Spanish, and the gates of Heaven opened.

Suddenly, we were two sisters seeking the same God together, and we were not alone. God's presence filled the room and, for a time, I was unaware of our surroundings and felt lifted up to Heaven. It was a holy moment that continues to bear fruit, empowering and filling my soul even now.

As I boarded the plane the next day, I knew life would never be the same again. From then on, I would be myself with patients back home. I would not withhold my greatest treasure — my faith in an all-powerful, good, and loving God — from the hurting people who need Him most.

I decided to live on mission here and now with no need to board planes to the other side of the world. My mission field is here.

That inward gaze changed me. I would go as far as saying that it saved my life. That prayer with a stranger saved me from the apathy and self-centeredness at the heart of our culture's decline. And it saved me from the fear of being genuinely myself as I care for people. Thanks be to God!

Two days ago, our teenager boarded a plane on his second mission trip to Costa Rica. As I reflect on the events of my second mission trip, I rejoice for him and the entire team, for I know these life-changing moments often come during mission trips overseas — outside our comfort zone — where we can become something we were not when we arrived.

Our children have learned at a young age that life is about loving God by loving and serving Him in our neighbors. They have learned that our gifts and talents come from above with a purpose: we are to share them with others. What a blessing!

Please join me once more in praying for their safety, their health, and for God's work to be accomplished in and through them. Pray for hearts to be transformed and lives changed, including ours as we intercede for them. And pray for God's Spirit to empower them (and all of us!) to love as Christ loves.

On mission!
Dr Mari 

For parts I and III of this series on Mission, read Living on Mission: What's That All About? and Living on Mission: Compassion Trumps Fear.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

"God loves to pour out His Spirit with power on those who will dare to align radically their purposes with His." (S. Childers)

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." (Henry Martyn)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

1 John 3:1

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

1 John 3:11

Living on Mission: What's That All About? (Part I)

A few days ago, our family hugged our teenager goodbye as he joined a small group of classmates and headed for Costa Rica on his first mission trip overseas. As we keep counting the days until his return, our prayers continue to rise for the team and everyone they'll meet. As I pray for him, my heart is filled with joy, for my life was transformed while on a mission to Guatemala many years ago.

Some wonder why people leave the safety of their homes and countries to minister overseas when there are so many needs right here in our own backyards. While this is true, time spent serving way outside of our comfort zones in a new culture can transform our hearts and minds and give us a new appreciation for our calling back home. Seeing the needs of others while living among them and leaving behind what is familiar and comfortable helps us grasp how blessed we are, and we often begin to live on mission at home upon our return.

For years I've longed to bring my teenager on an overseas mission, but he kept saying, No, then, Not yet. Although we've had many opportunities to serve in this country, we've never served on a short-term mission overseas. It wasn't until my son took a class on Mission at school that a desire for such an experience sprung out of his own heart.

The one-week class was taught by Profe, a woman who lives every day with a mission perspective. The daughter of missionaries and raised overseas, she truly lives with purpose, seeing God's hand in every circumstance, sharing Christ's love, and teaching others to do the same. I am so grateful that God continues to use people like her in the lives of my children. Such blessings speak to me of God's faithfulness, His sovereignty, and His wonderful and perfect plan.

Truly, we can trust Him. He is good.

Please join me in praying for the mission team and, especially, for Christ to reveal himself to those on the team and to everyone to whom they minister and through whom they will be blessed.

Joyfully,
Dr Mari

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, 

and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;  

give thanks to him and praise his name.  

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

 his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5

My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—

though I know not how to relate them all. 

Psalm 71:15

You can read a short story about my medical mission to Guatemala here.

For Parts II and III of this series on Mission, read Living on Mission: A Look Back and Living on Mission: Compassion Trumps Fear.

Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives: It's Time for a Change! (Part I)

This month I've been reading a book titled Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Written by Dr Richard Swenson, it addresses the many ways that modern progress has robbed us of our reserves and has contributed to a culture that drives us to hurried, frazzled living. Whereas much good has come out of the technological age, we are living  chronically overloaded lives as individuals and as a society. The author shares various manifestations of this overload syndrome; see if they sound familiar.

• Activity overload, which "takes away the pleasure of anticipation and the delight of reminiscence." 
• Change overload, with frequent moves, new jobs, new schools, new... everything, constantly!
• Choice overload: Just go to the supermarket or, better yet, visit one of the Superstores.
• Commitment overload: Have we learned to discern our commitments and feel good about saying "No" when we must?
• Debt overload. 
• Decision overload.
• Expectation overload. 
• Fatigue overload: In my practice of family medicine, at least half of the patients that come in with a chronic problem complain of fatigue. Most of them sleep less than 6 hours per night, drink too much coffee and consume alcohol in excess, all of which contribute to fatigue.
• Hurry overload.
• Information overload: "We are buried by data on a daily basis." 
• Media overload: In North America, the average TV set is turned on 55 hours a week!
• Noise overload: "True quiet is extremely rare."
• Possession overload: "Having first imprisoned us with debt, possessions then take over our houses and occupy our time... Everything I own owns me. Why would I want more?"
• Technology overload: "The average person must learn to operate 20,000 pieces of equipment."
• Traffic overload: "We now have more cars per family than drivers per family."
• Work overload: "Work is God-ordained. Work overload, however, was not part of the original plan. Yet every morning millions of Americans head drudgingly to an exhausting work schedule that leaves them stressed and worn out. The earlier predictions of shorter work-weeks and higher incomes have backfired. Instead we often find total family work schedules exceeding eighty hours a week - yet another family 'over-working and under-relating.'"

Such is life in our modern, advanced, developed world. The author relates meeting a man in Mali, West Africa, who said, "You Americans have all the watches; we have all the time."

Does any of this resonate with you today? If so, consider ways to help yourself on a daily basis beginning right now. You can redirect your life by making new choices and moving in the direction of greater sanity and true living. Overload syndrome is pervasive, but there's so much that we can do about it! The book speaks of the concept of "margin" as the opposite of overload. Margin builds our reserves, increasing the space between us and our limits. Margin = power - load. We can increase our power for abundant living by doing more of those things that increase our well-being, and we can decrease the load we carry through careful choices, too. This will bring back a margin of sanity, energy, peace, and contentment to our daily lives that will make all the difference.

One last thought. Are we measuring our progress by the world's definition of success, ours or God's? "What if... we were to begin measuring our progress not by our wealth but by our virtue; not by our education but by our humility; and not by our power but by our meekness?" What if?

Be free!
Dr Mari

For part II of this series, read Unloaded Lives are Powerful: Restoring a Margin of Sanity. For more on why the choices we make matter, read I Am Not My Own.

 Above excerpts are from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson, MD.

*Photo by Manuel Díaz Photography. All Rights Reserved. *

I Am Not My Own

“Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.”
                                                                             - Lynn A. Miller, Author

I love this quote! I first saw it this weekend on our church bulletin and can't stop thinking about it. It brings a new perspective on what giving is, why we give, and what our life as Christians is all about. If the One I follow gave His life for me while I was still actively sinning against Him, where is it that I think I follow Him? If His life was spent selflessly giving of Himself, why should I expect to live any other way? If the Father gave because of His great love for us, what might my life look like as I follow in His Son's footsteps?

Generosity. That's what my life will look like. I will give what I have received. I will organize my life in such a way that God can spend me as He wills. I will recognize something that will change my life: I am not my own.

When I said yes to God by receiving for myself the sacrifice of Christ's death on my behalf, I became God's possession. In Ephesians 1:13,14, Paul explains it like this, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory."

If we are in Christ, we are God's possession, marked as His own. We are His, and He can do with us as He wills. No longer our own, we get our marching orders through the guidance of the Holy Spirit within, and the Spirit always leads us to love, to surrender, to give. And as we live this new life of selfless giving, we find that, as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

Let us organize our lives in such a way that God can spend us - now - any way He chooses. For we belong to Him.

His!
Dr Mari

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it..." (Psalm 24:1) 

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner: Life's Extras - September 2011

Life's extras at Leu Gardens. Orlando, FL.

Follow this link to Life's Extras, this month's Health & Hope Corner, where I share about my husband's discovery of a bigger plan in the midst of suffering. This column is a "small thing" I do "with great love," as Mother Teresa taught. It is published monthly by Hope Matters, whose mission it is to spread hope to those walking through the stormy seas of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, or through the uncertainty and stress of military deployment. I have the privilege of serving as their translator, copy editor, and contributing author. Through books, workshops, special events, and advocacy efforts, Hope Matters provides tools, resources, and hope for tough journeys.

Enjoy this month's Health & Hope Corner, and may we all learn to rejoice as we discover life's extras in the midst of our struggles.

Blessed by sharing hope,

Dr Mari

Adversity's Gift: Perseverance

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

I love how James ties trials, faith, perseverance, maturity, and joy. Our trials, he explains, test our faith and develop our ability to persevere. The dictionary defines perseverance as steadfastness, determination and, my favorite, staying power. Staying power – the diligence, commitment and muscle to stay, to endure, not to flee, to hang in there. Perseverance gives us the power to stay in our circumstance, standing firm in that uncomfortable, painful or devastating place until we can rise above it. I don't know about you, but I want more staying power. I want to be fully equipped in hardship so that I may continue to stand and not fall.

James reminds us that this process of increasing our staying power matures us, that we may be “complete, not lacking anything.” He's not referring to material provision here; he's talking about our emotions, our relationships, our spiritual life – our inner life. Perseverance strengthens our inner being, where our emotions, thoughts, and will reside. We become wiser and more mature as we persevere. Like a tree that sways in the storm but remains standing, our roots dig deeper and grow stronger when we resolve to stand firm through trials. As we grasp the transformation taking place within us through difficulties, we learn to rejoice in the midst of them. We discern a noble and good purpose in our suffering, and this awareness transforms it – and us.

"Finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means." (2 Corinthians 8:11) Perseverance helps us "finish the work," and it is our trials that help us develop this virtue. May we all remember this when we face adversity and learn to rejoice in the midst of it, thanking God for making us whole and helping us stand.

Rejoice!
Dr Mari

For more encouragement, listen to the song Blessings and read Contentment: Good for the Soul and Evidence of Trust.

Living in the Moment

In this fast-paced modern world, it is so important to make time for silence. While on vacation to the Northeast this week I've been blessed with many opportunities for quiet contemplation. As so often happens when we visit my in-laws, I discovered a gem in one of the bookshelves, The Music of Silence: Entering the Sacred Space of Monastic Experience, by David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B. Here is an excerpt from this small but insightful book, the companion to the CD entitled Chant:

"We are so geared to what is useful that we forget the meaningful, what gives our life joy and depth and value." (p.14)

"Saturated with information but often bereft of meaning, we feel caught in a never-ending swirl of duties and demands, things to finish, things to put right. Yet as we dart anxiously from one activity to the next, we sense that there is more to life than our worldly agendas." (p.5)

Can you, like me, relate to these simple but profound statements? If so, make time today for a bit of silence and take advantage of the gift of the present moment. As I do that now, I am filled with thankfulness for life, for health, for children, for hand-made ice cream and grape tomatoes, for a bird's nest discovered on a walk, for family, and for the ability to know and experience God and His goodness.

A few days ago, as I sat on the lawn enjoying my mother-in-law's breathtaking garden and reading this little book, my nine year-old hopped onto my blanket. Sensing a conversation coming, I marked the page and set the book down. He grinned big as he dropped his LEGO mini-figures and, out of nowhere, asked what my favorite "creature" is. Though he initially agreed with my choice of a butterfly, he explained why he prefers the puffin. With great excitement, he shared its various attributes, the best being the puffin's ability to "torpedo backwards." As he mimicked its swift movements, I smiled, for I was perfectly in the moment, enjoying my son's joy and making it my own.

Life is made up of moments like this one, but so often we miss them. We're busy, we have stuff to do, items to check off our lists, deadlines to meet. And speaking of deadlines, did you ever notice the word dead in deadlines? (p.5) Perhaps if we spent more time reaching out for our lifelines and becoming lifelines for each other rather than frantically living to meet deadlines... perhaps we'd experience more joy. It's just a thought.

Yes! Life is made up of moments, and each brings the opportunity for us to live it fully! Let us live every one. For each is a wonderful gift.

Thankful for life!
Dr Mari

Changing the World ... One Person at a Time

Last week six doctors gathered at one of their homes to begin planning for the first Orlando chapter of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. These associations "exist to motivate, educate, and equip Christian physicians and dentists to glorify God by living out the character of Christ in their homes, practices, communities, and around the world." Now that's a mission statement I can internalize and resolve to live out!

As I contemplate the things we need in order to live out the character of Christ in our personal and professional lives, my thoughts turn to the patients I've seen this month. You see, for the first time in twelve years I'm working at a secular clinic. I recently met a young man with HIV and depression who feels spiritually and emotionally lost. Two weeks ago I met a man in his fifties who hadn't seen a doctor in over six years because of fear -- so he now has very advanced diabetes and heart disease. I met a woman with panic attacks who has no community to speak of, and a young man in the midst of a disappointing and painful divorce.

How can I possibly help restore wholeness to these broken lives while neglecting the emotional, relational, and spiritual elements that affect their health and well-being? It is not possible -- not if I want to really help them.

Twelve years ago, a simple prayer began a transformation in me whereby I stopped being one more doctor and started to grow into a Christian physician. To me, that means that I started living out my faith in every area of my life, not just my private prayer life. Although faith is intensely private and grows by leaps and bounds in the intimacy of personal prayers between an individual and God, faith that changes the world is often public. And I have chosen to go public in spite of my fears.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." What a shame that a man who stood for non-violence, peace, and unity had such an opinion of Christians. As followers of Jesus, we must not simply walk alongside Him passively or follow at a distance. Our calling is to become like Him, and that happens one day at a time, one action at a time, one thought at a time, and one prayer at a time - as we stay close to Him.

It is so critical to find mature Christian mentors who can challenge, encourage, and help to keep us accountable and on track. It is even more compelling to become one of those mentors. 

In modern, Western healthcare, it is so easy to become discouraged and apathetic by the challenges we face every day. Yet, we have the awesome privilege of being Christ to those in need, often during their most vulnerable and terrifying moments. It is my hope and prayer that, as I treat hurting people, they will leave thinking, "I like your Christ, and I'm starting to like Christians. You look so much like your Christ."

In Hope and with Joy,

Dr Mari

I published a devotional for healthcare professionals and caregivers in 2012. Visit my author website to read more about Walking with Jesus in Healthcare.

Hope Flies Despite Broken Wings! (Part III - Transformation Series)

It is 3 o'clock on Good Friday as I remember Jesus' ultimate act of trust of his Father and his unimaginable love for us. After suffering anguish on the cross for hours, Jesus gave up his spirit with the words, It is finished (John 19:30). The work he came to do was done; he gave his life that we might live. 

To celebrate the freedom Jesus died to bring us, today we released the butterflies we've befriended over the last three weeks. The kids unzipped the roof of the habitat and, after about twenty seconds, the first butterfly flew straight toward us. Another landed on our plumbago bush, a third one headed for the roof of our house and the fourth chose to visit our neighbor's yard. 

And then there was the fifth butterfly — the one that captured our hearts. We named her Hope.

Having fallen during the critical chrysalis phase, Hope's transformation wasn't quite normal. As this butterfly emerged from its pupal stage, part of the chrysalis adhered to its left wing. Though it seemed to fly normally in the habitat where we studied them, we wondered whether she'd fly well enough to survive out in the real world. She looked like a pilot ejected from her plane, backpack in place, ready to let out the chute. 

I was able to remove some of the chrysalis off the wing with a pair of tweezers last week, and just two days ago I noticed the rest of it had fallen off. Still, having a chrysalis stuck to it affected her wing development. Hope has no back wing on the left side at all.

Notice Hope's missing back left wing.

So we released our five winged friends, but Hope stayed behind, as if she, too, was unsure how things would go outside the safety of her home. But after about three minutes, her wings began to flutter, resembling a hummingbird flapping rapidly in place. And, then, without warning, Hope soared toward a nearby live oak and sat on a leaf. As we approached her in awe of her first long flight, she flew down and rested on the ground, right in front of us, long enough for me to snap this shot.

We were thrilled to see that she can fly, and well. She flew high, like the others, and seemed able to do so without any trouble. Hope can fly despite her broken wing.

I once read that bumblebees defy the laws of aerodynamics and that, based on their shape and the size and weight of their wings, they should not be able to fly. Yet, they do, much like Hope with her broken wing. Some things just don't make sense, but our inability to understand the "how" doesn't change the fact of the "what." Hope can fly, and so can the bumblebee, and that's that.
 
On this Good Friday, we remember the greatest act in history. Jesus came as an innocent child and lived a sinless life. He healed the sick, taught about God's kingdom, and showed us what love really means. After a lifetime spent serving others and caring for the needy, the hurt, and the broken, he was repaid on a lonely cross. He chose this path willingly, and he did it out of love.

His love is the source of our hope, and this is why. Jesus ... was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, emphasis added) 

Our broken wings are no surprise to God. He knew we needed mending; that's why He sent Jesus. And it is by his wounds that we are healed, that we may live in freedom and help others heal from their brokenness. We may not understand this, but that doesn't change the fact that he did this out of love for each of us. 

As we contemplate Jesus' unending love, we can rejoice in our brokenness and release it unto him, the One who is able to help us fly despite our broken wings.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* For more of this series on transformation, read Be Still and Know for Part I, Baggage-free Flying for Part II, and A Favorite Christmas Gift ... Insects! for Part IV. * 

Baggage-free Flying (Part II - Transformation Series)

It is day twelve of our butterfly watch. For several days we've observed these creatures in their pupal stage, where they hang upside down in perfect stillness as they wait to become butterflies. Sadly, only two of them ended up hanging. During the transfer to their habitat, three of the chrysalids fell. Yes, I dropped them, and felt pretty bad about it for days.

Two chrysalids house hopeful butterflies.

So we wondered, will they all make it?
Will the fallen ones survive?

It turns out they all have. They're alive and well, sipping sugar water and fluttering by as we contemplate their transformed bodies. Only one of them seems to have a problem. As the butterfly emerged from its chrysalid, part of its interim home adhered to one of its wings, which curled up on itself. The doctor in me wanted to intervene right away, but I decided to wait and see whether its own wing pumping motion would make it detach. It didn't.

So I thought, How sad. Butterflies aren't meant to hop like bunnies. They are meant to soar, to fly! They are symbols of freedom, after all. Imagine flying with a curled up wing and a permanent knapsack on your back.

As I searched for my tweezers, I thought of how some people are walking through life with all kinds of baggage on their backs. Must be tough to make progress when you're the one holding yourself back.

I found my forceps and grabbed on to my unsuspecting patient's chrysalid. As the butterfly took off, most of its old home broke off, and I noticed she did fly. She flew! I was ecstatic to see that her wings work, though I still wonder how she'll do when we let her go.

The whole experience lends itself to some great reflections. How many of us, though equipped with wings, are hopping around like bunnies or, worse, still crawling the ground like caterpillars? Do we want to fly but refuse to remove the heavy loads weighing down our wings? Are there some who have tried to help us but we've refused to receive their help, perhaps out of pride or even fearing the very freedom we long for? What could we become if we let them help us drop our load?

And have we sat long enough - gaining wisdom through trials - allowing our wings to dry before we take off again? Or do we move from one thing to the next without any time devoted to reflection and learning from past mistakes?

One of my favorite Bible verses comes from Galatians 5:1, where Paul exclaims, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Later on, Paul explains the purpose of our freedom, You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)

We have not been given wings to sit around, to crawl the ground, to wait for someone else to do what we've been called to do. We have been given wings that we may soar to new heights, trusting that the One who put us here and cares for us through each transformation of life will remain with us at every new place to which we're called. And when we travel there, we have one purpose. 

We've been set free to love.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Our freedom comes with boundaries, and with a purpose. So let us be free.

Free to live abundantly. Free to serve. To give and to receive. To love.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* See Be Still and Know for Part I of this series, Hope Flies Despite Broken Wings! for Part III, and A Favorite Christmas Gift ... Insects! for Part IV. *