Ready or Not...

No one is ever ready to be transformed.  Even when a caterpillar goes into a cocoon, it never knows exactly what will happen or how the transformation will end.  As I prepare to enter into a time of transformation through a pilgrimage to Israel, it's hard to know what to expect. Will this once-in-a-lifetime trip live up to my high expectations? Will I really be transformed? If so, what will the process be like? Who will I be afterward?

My last pilgrimage was on the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain for 6 weeks in 2006.  I hiked with my father the 500 mile trail to arrive 38 days later in Santiago.  And yes, I was transformed. I am still living out the implications of that pilgrimage: the importance of being aware of God's presence every day, the humility to start one's day being open to whatever it holds (even if it wasn't according to the plan), the gift of slowing down and living a more relaxed pace, the opportunity to get to know strangers who quickly become friends, and the surrendering of my will to God's will. I am still affected by that pilgrimage and continue to live out those lessons.

Will this trip be a similar transformative experience or am I asking too much? Only time will tell as I prepare to leave the country in 72 hours. In the meantime, I ask for your prayers: for safety, for clarity in hearing God’s voice, for openness to new experiences, for growth in my spiritual life, and for Nelio and the kids who are making it possible for me to go. Prayers for Mulberry Presbyterian Church: the staff who are filling in the gaps, the two guests preachers and guest celebrant for communion, the congregation.

I am grateful that this time I can share my pilgrimage on a day to day basis with those I love and care for. In addition to my personal journaling, I will post as often as possible the experiences I am having overseas.  So in many ways, I am not just going for myself, but I am taking this pilgrimage for all those who want to join me.  Thank you so much for your love, your prayers, and your support.  God bless.

Which Caterpillar Are You?



Transformation



A small, earthbound, slow moving caterpillar inches its way along the branch of the tree, munching on the leaves as he crawls along.  Life is OK.  He was surviving.  He eventually finds his best friend, another small earthbound, slow moving caterpillar inching his way along the branch of the tree, munching on leaves as he crawls along.  They talk about the weather, about the tenderness of the leaves, and other such things important to caterpillars.  One of the caterpillars finally got up the courage to say what was on his mind, “So, what do you think about this cocoon thing?”  “Oh, I don’t like it at all,” replied the other caterpillar.  “I heard once you go in, that’s it.  As a caterpillar you die.  You are all cramped up in the tiny space and you start to change and it hurts and its dark.  I’m not going to do it.  How about you?” 

“I don’t know,” answered the first caterpillar.  “They say that what happens is really amazing. And that you can fly and be all colorful.  I’d love to know what it feels like to fly.  I don’t like the thought of being in a cocoon, but I think that afterward, life could be way better.  It’ll be hard and scary, I know.  But I hear that it’s worth it.  I think I might try it.”  Trusting the process of transformation, that caterpillar entered into the cocoon, giving up life as he knew it, and after some painful and scary times, emerged from that cocoon as a beautiful butterfly, floating along the air, living a life he had never dreamed possible.  The other caterpillar remained a small earthbound slow moving creature inching his way along the branch of the tree, munching on the leaves as he crawled along.

Transformation.  The process of dying in order to live.  As this Lenten season begins, we are reminded that God is all about transformation.  In Christ, we are a new creation.  The old is gone and a new life has begun.  But being inside the cocoon is scary, dark, painful, and uncertain.  New life begins in the dark, uncertain times of our life.  In the operating room, in the loneliness, in the doubt, in the trials and tribulations of life.  We worship a God who knows all about this.  Who went through the cocoon of betrayal, mockery, beatings, and crucifixion in order to get to Easter Sunday.  The only way to get to the empty tomb is through the cross.  Jesus asks us to die to ourselves, our ambitions, desires, greed, selfishness, in order to fully live an abundant life in him: a life of love and sacrifice and generosity.  Ponder in this Lenten season whether God is asking you to let a part of you die (a bad habit, over indulgence, frivolous spending, thinking of yourself first) in order for you to truly live.  Yes, it's dark and painful inside that cocoon.  But as the first caterpillar found out: Boy, is it worth it!  Which caterpillar will you be this year?