Chrysalis: We Are Changing

First of all, say a little prayer or a big prayer and take a deep breath. You are where you are supposed to be and you are in the best of hands and let God take the wheel. Change is everywhere. The old saying goes, “Everything must change.” We may wish to pause time, to keep certain moments pristine and unbroken. Yet the world keeps turning, and life keeps moving, whether we’re ready or not.

Change can come suddenly or slowly, softly or boldly. Sometimes we anticipate it; sometimes we dread it. But through every shift, small or daunting, we can find a steadying Presence. God remains a constant companion and deliverer, guiding us through the detours, the surprises, and the challenges.

In our lives we shift: courses, schools, jobs, friendships, possessions, plans. We move through seasons and we grow older. Our careers evolve, leaders change, and distances may separate us from family and friends. Even technology reshapes the way we work and communicate. Do we cling to what’s familiar, or do we embrace the new with wisdom and courage? The pace of change can spark anxiety and fear. How do we cope when the road ahead feels overwhelming? Understanding what is taking place helps. Change is often uncomfortable, a hinge creaking as it swings toward what is unseen. At times, we must gently prune the branches of our lives, letting go of what no longer serves us, so that God’s blessings can take root and flourish. As He prepares us for a greater purpose, a quiet shift unfolds within our hearts and around our circumstances—an invitation to reframe our perspective and discern His timing more clearly.

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God Changes caterpillars into butterflies,

sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds,

Using time and pressure.

He is working on you too

Turn to God for guidance. Ask Him to lead you. Fear not, for the divine Father is with you. He knows your choices even before you make them, and He graciously allows you the privilege of choosing. Our lives are shaped by teamwork: effort, perseverance, and steadfast faith. When we look back, we see both the fruits of our hard work and the lessons of our missteps. Yet through it all, God remains faithful to His children.

We are like butterflies; each of us a soul in transformation. After visiting an exhibit on butterfly evolution at a museum, recently, I felt the perfect metaphor for our journey: we are born, live, and transform into enlightened spirits. Throughout life’s tests, whether we are rich or poor, able or disabled, from anywhere in the world, we face choices every day. Some are small and bright; others are hard and heavy. Where to live, what to study, whom to listen to, how to be, whom to marry, what to pay, these are moments that shape us.  Sometimes, a bit of wisdom or message from God comes out of the blue from the most unexpected person on earth that is a vessel to inspire you. Funny thing, my father always had a message for every occasion.  He often reminded me, “A good run is better than a bad stay.” Sometimes we need to step back, be quiet, and walk away or revisit the situation at another time.

Every decision is a choice. One enduring counsel I share with my family and with you: turn to God. Be still, listen, and feel the Holy Spirit. Let love, not fear, guide your decisions. Pray and let your heart lead you. God will not fail you, and with Him, you will not fail. Do not be alarmed by the tremor of transformation, for God will not forsake His beloved. In the furnace of refinement, He tenderly shapes us, removing what dulls our spirit and polishing what makes us shine with His grace. Trust that this season of change is but a preparation, an unveiling of something new, glorious, and wholly His design.

God is with you in every step, refining you for a destiny more expansive than you can imagine. Embrace the journey, lean into His love, and wait with hopeful anticipation for the blessing He is bringing into your life.

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Boldness is not loud bravado, but a bright ember within the heart—a courageous, confident, and decisive fire that propels you to step beyond the edge of comfort. It means reaching for opportunities, meeting challenges head-on, and charting a course toward your loftiest goals. Boldness pushes through fear and dispels self-doubt, inviting you to live with greater authenticity, to grow in every realm, personally and professionally, and to leave a mark that honors your purpose.

When we hear the truth that “God put you here to be bold,” it’s a reminder that this courage comes not from our own might, but from the Spirit who energizes and equips us. It is faith-infused boldness born in prayer, sustained by conviction, and guided by a living relationship with God, that empowers us to speak truth, to stand firm in the face of threats, and to boldly pursue the call on our lives.

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God walks beside you, unseen but present, molding you for a throne you’re worthy to hold. The storm is a school of winds; the pressure, a blacksmith’s heat; your tears, the rain that roots the soil. From that earth, radiant flowers will bloom across spring and summer, gathering to the harvest you’re meant to reap.

Scripture echoes this gift:

Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Joshua 1:9

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline Timothy 1:7

Let that assurance ignite your soul, embolden

your steps, and infuse your days

with courageous purpose.

Remember, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by change, take a breath, invite God into the moment, and move forward with faith, hope, and courage.

You are never alone in this journey.

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Ecclesiastes 3

King James Version

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

² A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

⁵ A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

⁶ A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

⁷ A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

⁹ What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

¹⁰ I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

¹¹ He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

¹² I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

¹³ And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

¹⁴ I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

¹⁵ That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

¹⁶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

¹⁷ I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

¹⁸ I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

¹⁹ For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

²⁰ All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

²¹ Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

²² Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?