by Amy Meyer Allen
I was privileged to be able to attend the CLASSeminar Writer's Conference at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico at the beginning of this month. The theme was "Transformation" and we were each to write a story or poem that reflected that theme and this verse from Romans 12:2 - "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." It was a fun process working with a critique group to improve my piece. This final version includes the wonderful edits of Robin Stanley. Oh, the Life of a Butterfly! By Amy Meyer Allen Slow moving, confined to the earth, easy prey. This is the life of a caterpillar. Weightless wings, floating on the wind, mesmerizing beauty. Oh, the life of a butterfly! I felt no desire to leave my comfortable life. But there I sat, alone in the cocoon I built around myself. How did I get here? Dark, formidable, unwelcoming, and completely unfamiliar, I mourned for the life I once knew. The dark addictions of pornography, affairs, and prostitutes had seized my husband and stolen him away from me. With shattered dreams, a looming divorce and 3,000 miles between us, it seemed I would never escape the betrayal that kept me locked within the boundaries of my cocoon. For weeks it felt like a prison sentence. I lost my identity. The sorrow grew deep. No one could ease the pain. In the dark confines of that unfamiliar place, I began to understand I wasn’t alone. A supernatural presence was creating something new. I allowed the truth of God’s Word to permeate my heart, bringing about change from within. “I love you. I will never leave you or forsake you,” He whispered. “I have a perfect plan for your life.” I grew to love the quiet hours I spent alone with God during my cocoon time, letting His truth transform me. Hope for a future quietly replaced my fears. Emerging from the cocoon didn’t happen overnight, as much as I would have liked it to. But God’s timing is perfect and cannot be rushed. Trials that come into my life now, I view as opportunities to be transformed. God intends the changes He creates within me to be permanent. I can’t go back to being a caterpillar. Why would I want to anyway, with so many limitations, always vulnerable to predators, and a limited view of the world? I want to soar to new heights, see the world from a higher perspective, be released from the weight of the world. Oh, the life of a butterfly!
0 Comments
|
About AmyI was born in 1970 in Omaha, Nebraska. Although I went to church all my life, I didn't make Jesus Lord of my life until I was 29 years old. My real relationship with Him began when my marriage fell apart. Categories
All
|