Promise of Eternal Life/Pathos & Glory: Part 1

Spring is known as the season of New Life. In Spring, the gifts of earth are born & re-born anew. In a transcendental process, living things are re-awakened from their death-like dormancy in which they existed in throughout the cold & dark of winter & given new life. There are many examples of the new life given in the season of Spring. From nature, it is the transformation of the caterpillar into the butterfly that speaks most strongly & reminds us most poignantly of God’s transcendental Grace. The transformation of the caterpillar that crawls among the milkweed, appears to die & then emerges from a chrysalis transformed into a glorious perfectly marked monarch butterfly that can soar & float with beautiful delicate wings in the air is a transcendental transformation that exists apart from the material universe. Only God can transform death into new life. God’s Grace of healing & transcendental transformation is something we cannot understand. It arises beyond human knowledge & reason & transcends all earthly understanding, yet the gift of new eternal life is promised to us by God. We are created & shaped by God in the form of mind, body & spirit. It cannot be denied that due to disease, accidents, violence, etc. our mind & our body can be broken & can physically die. However, though our spirits may be tossed about at times through: disease, injury, grief, doubt & hopelessness, our spirits will never die. The gift of healing, transformation & new life is promised to us by God. It is in God’s promise for new life that all hope lies.

As with the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly, humans also go through stages of being transformed by God. As we move through our lives, God is with us & promises us new life. Though our bodies may die, our spirits will never die.  When we believe in the truth of God & live into that promise, we are transformed & new life is given.

Whether we are inside a chrysalis of life being transformed or have emerged & are clinging to the empty chrysalis pumping our wings preparing to fly, we can rest in the fact that regardless of our circumstances, as we walk with our Creator, we most assuredly will receive new transformed life that transcends all understanding.  Through His Holy Spirit, the wind blows as God breathes His life-giving breath into us & around us & gives us life whether we are in seasons of beauty or of suffering.

Sometimes things outside of our control are set before us in life that make it a challenge for us to feel grateful to God & to rejoice. However, in our heart of hearts, as well as from Biblical accounts, we know that God created all life & therefore, there is wholeness & goodness in all things from God. It is His will that we are made spiritually whole. He hears our cries & welcomes us to come to Him through His healing transforming grace.

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy