http://www.mediafire.com/file/zwiexeeally/Transformers.mp3
“Transformers: From Surviving to Thriving”
Brimfield Faith UMC
January 31, 2010
Brimfield Faith UMC
January 31, 2010
Genesis 45:5-8; Romans 8:26-30
The butterfly is one of nature’s most beautiful illustrations of the power of transformation. We all know that the butterfly doesn’t begin as a beautiful butterfly. Instead it begins life as a caterpillar. Caterpillars aren’t exactly one of life’s most majestic creatures. They are typically small worm like creatures that crawl around on a hundred little legs and eat as much plant material as possible. Caterpillars often have a bitterness to them that deters birds and other predators from eating them. Most people consider caterpillars a bit of a nuisance because of the damage they can cause to plants. [pictures of stages]
If life wasn’t bad enough for the caterpillar, they then become a pupa. Pupal stage lasts from a few weeks up to a two years. On the outside is this dull cocoon that seems lifeless but inside amazing changes are happening. What started as an ugly little caterpillar now grows legs, wings, eyes and all the parts of a butterfly. Finally, the beautiful butterfly emerges.
Over the last several weeks we have been trying to answer the question, how can a loving God allow suffering in the world? I share the story of the butterfly because I think it speaks to our ability to overcome painful situations. We can learn much about surviving and thriving in the face of pain through the transformation of the butterfly. The process of the butterfly is similar to the five stages of grief that we talked about in the context of coping with pain. Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
The stages of denial, anger and bargaining can been seen in the life of the caterpillar. People caught in the caterpillar stages of pain find themselves crawling around in denial. In their anger they often consuming everything eventually becoming bitter. The caterpillar stage of the grief process is important but not one we can remain in. Last week, we discussed how we move through the coping stages of pain. We talked about the work of listening to your pain and holy venting.
The final stage before transformation begins in the grief process is the depression stage. The depression stage can be represented by the pupa or cocoon stage. When it comes to this stage, people either try to get out before the work of transformation is complete or they never emerge from the cocoon. We reviewed the importance of having supportive friends to guide you through depression. Even though the cocoon is the darkest period of the butterfly it is vital to becoming a butterfly. In the same way, we must walk through depression in order to move into acceptance and transformation. The life stages of the butterfly can guide us trhough the stages of grief. We can move from simply treading water and coping with pain to a place of thriving in the midst of pain and moving beyond it.
One of my favorite movies is “Patch Adams.” It is a story about Dr. Hunter Adams who founded the Gesundheit Clinic. Patch, as he is called, is a doctor who treats people in unorthodox ways, especially with the use of humor. Patch’s life is filled with joy and purpose, until his girlfriend is tragically murdered by a patient. Patch, like many of us, is on the brink of being destroyed by his pain. He has given up practicing medicine and has given up on life. I want us to watch the scene in the movie where he finally moves through the pain of his loss and rediscovers life.
[CLIP]
We see Patch experience his pain and engage in some holy venting with God. At its culmination, Patch sees a butterfly on his bag and it then lands on his hand. In this moment, Patch rediscovers life. He returns to his practice. He rediscovers hope, joy and purpose again. Unfortunately, our lives aren’t major motion films and don’t always work out as planned. The butterfly can inspire us as well, and therefore, I want to suggest a couple of practical ways to help us break out of the cocoon and learn to thrive.
CREATE MEANING - JOSEPH
Many of you are probably familiar with the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph is the youngest son of Rachel and Jacob. He is Jacob favorite son and as a good younger brother can do, he annoys his older brothers. One day, Joseph has a dream that all of his brothers were bowing down to Joseph. This doesn’t exactly settle well with his brothers and they conspire to sell Joseph into slavery. Joseph ends up in Potiphar’s house, one of Pharaoh’s officials, where he learns to thrive, until one day he winds up in jail on false accusations. If you read all of Joseph’s story, you see a man who repeated has bad things happen to him. He is never beat down by them.
Instead he continually finds ways to thrive in the midst of them. Eventually, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt. During a famine, his brothers travel to Egypt in hopes of getting supplies. They encounter their brother but do not recognize him. After a return visit, Joseph reveals himself to his estranged family of over 20 years. Instead of being angry and bitter, Joseph says, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” Joseph is able to create meaning and to find purpose throughout his struggles. He hides in his heart the promises that God revealed to him in dreams. I believe that it was this meaning and purpose that enabled Joseph to preserve through the dark times of his life. The key to thriving through pain is to create MEANING and purpose. I want to suggest two ways we create meaning and sustain purpose in our lives
ASK NEW QUESTIONS
#1. Create meaning by asking different questions.
I think we begin to create meaning out of our pain and suffering by asking different questions. Our default response many times to pain and suffering is to ask the why question. We seem to get caught up in want a reason for the struggles. We ask: Why did this happen to me? Why did God allow this to happen? Why, why, why? Unfortunately, there is rarely a good answer to the why question. When we dwell on the why, we aren’t able to move past the pain. Asking why causes us to focus on it more and results in more intense pain. If not why, then what do we ask? I suggest asking questions like: how do I respond this pain? What good can come from this? What can I learn from it? For you, it might be a different question. Whatever the question, it needs to help you to create meaning.
When pain has meaning, we can endure almost anything. I witnessed this to be true three and a half months ago as I watched Michelle endure the pains of labor. It was incredible to watch her motivated through the process. She was able to endure it because she knew Caleb was the reward. Perhaps just as remarkable is now hearing her consider wanting to go through that pain again. The meaning and purpose of the pain of labor enables not only Michelle but many women the ability to have multiple children.
The reward of child birth is fairly obvious compared too much of our pain and suffering. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the meaning and purpose of your pain is. It is something that you must discover and claim on your own. I can encourage you with the words of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It may not be easy to find but it is possible. Therefore, I want to suggest another component of creating meaning and purpose help us to thrive in the midst of pain.
DISCOVER HOPE
#2. Discovering HOPE helps to maintain meaning.
Maintaining meaning can be a challenging thing. We can believe that God works all things for the good of those who live him, but when things continue to go wrong it is easy to begin to doubt that meaning. This is where the role of hope comes in. Hope is defined as “the expectation of a favorable future under God’s direction. It is seen in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hope is a powerful antidote to despair. Hope is the glue that holds together our meaning and purpose in God. Hope is not simply naïve optimism. It is not the belief that the pain will be gone next week. It is not the wish that everything will go back to normal tomorrow. Hope is knowing that God is close to the brokenhearted. Hope is knowing, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Hope is the trust that when we cannot pray, “the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Without hope, pessimism can crush us. There are countless stories of people to die because of a lack of hope. Hope enables us to confront the present reality for what it is. It allows us to evaluate it and even learn from it. Hope gives us the eyes to see beyond the present darkness and into a future with hope and a future with God. Hope exists because God is God.
Hope is always rooted in the promises and character of God. There will be days that God doesn’t feel trustworthy but He always is. If we are going to thrive in the midst of pain, we must remember the promises of God. Joseph is able to maintain hope because remembers the prophetic words spoken over his life. If we are going to maintain hope and meaning, we need to remember the words that God has spoken over your life. Perhaps godly man or woman prophesied words of life over you. Cling to those words.
Other promises can be found in Scripture. There was a time in my life when I meditated on Psalm 62 multiple times every day. I was struggling to hope in God and to trust in him, so I repeatedly claimed the words: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” The repetition allowed the words to sink into my heart and to sustain my meaning and purpose. Over time, they became words of life, words of hope.
When you find yourself struggling through pain, try meditating on Psalm 62 or Psalm 23 or Romans 8. Read it morning, day and night. Write promise verses on post-it notes and put them all over your house, your car, and your office. Hope is not something that comes easily but it is something that will sustain you if you allow it.
CONCLUSION
Learning to thrive in the midst of pain is one the largest challenges in our lives. Most people will never reach the summit and be able to look past their struggles. I hope the words this morning have provided inspiration and hope that you can thrive, that you can transform pain. If and when you encounter difficulty, I hope that you are not alone. I believe that together we can be victorious, that we can find meaning and that we can hold onto hope.
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