made new

"just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly..."

i love this quote. 

i relate it to the work that the Lord does in our lives. in my brokenness, He creates a masterpiece. although painful, He molds and transforms. This God, this creator, is my Healer, and the Redeemer of life. my life included. "perseverance must finish its work so that you may be complete, lacking nothing."

in the realm of healing, and the healing of others, we must not be limited to seeing people as they are.

we must take the time to dive into the depth of humanity to find the scarce bit of good in each person.

if we hold each other to a standard that only entertains face value, we commit a vast disservice to each other. 

"to affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see themselves and to repeat it in spite of appearances to the contrary." -Brennan Manning

Never settle in relationships where you are not encouraged to be made new, that do not daily encourage you to strip your old self, and strive for the new. this proves the daily necessity for our soul caretaker. the  One who restores, the One who looks at His love, you, and says, "My sweet little one, it is you that i take delight in. It is in your contagious laughter where i find joy. i have entrusted you with a desire to serve others. be new and bring hope."

"but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

hope does not disappoint us.