Into the Unknown (the unseen)

Today I will share with you a devotional that will seem somewhat different to you, but which I pray will be a blessing for you and your family.

I think God has a great sense of humor and for some reason, He talks to me a lot through the Disney movies. While my daughter is enjoying the film, I am with a "tissue" drying my tears and feeling a little ridiculous (yes, you can laugh).

During our women's sharing / breakfast last Saturday, Pastor Patty mentioned the movie Frozen 2, and that's when I knew it was time to share something I had reserved since I first saw it. If you're a mother, you've probably seen it already, but if you haven't, I'll give you a little background.

Elsa, the main character, has the special power of "ice", but it is still unclear why or what for. At the beginning of the film we see her hearing an “unknown” voice that only she can hear, a voice that attracts her, that calls her, and that, deep down, she believes that voice is good. Later she decides to go after that voice to find out what it wants to say or teach her. It is there when she sings the famous song "Into the unknown". In her journey towards "the unknown" she has to go through many setbacks, but the most that strikes me is that to complete her mission, she must leave behind those she loves: Anna (her sister), Kristoff (her brother-in-law), even Olaf (her friend in the form of a snowman), and go alone ... or at least, that's what she thought. 

Her sister, Anna, also had an important role in this mission (which I won't tell you, because I want you to watch the movie). However, she must also leave behind her boyfriend, Kristoff, and her friend, Olaf. It was much more difficult for her since she was not as independent as her sister, Elsa. But, at the end of the film, when everything is resolved, we see that nobody was really alone. While Elsa was doing her part, Anna was doing her part elsewhere ... and vice versa. 

But, what I want to focus on at this moment is that there will be moments in which you will feel walking towards the unknown; you will see yourself walking towards things that you had never imagined, facing enemies that you didn't even know existed, perhaps fearful at the beginning, like Elsa; but following that familiar voice ... that of Your Heavenly Father. The voice that guided Elsa throughout her journey was not as unknown as it seemed, on the contrary, it was the most familiar and intimate voice she had heard since she was a child ... her mother's.

God wants to prepare us for great things and when that process begins there are things that we are not going to like. In order to get to the place that God wants to take us, our character must be processed, we must be trained; we must go through a preparation. We must pay a price, and sometimes a very costly price. Maybe we will feel alone, but remember, you are not.  Your Father is with you.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 17-18

The process of preparation and training will not always be easy. In the Bible we see the story of a young woman, called Esther. When she is taken away to be prepared and present herself before the King, I don't believe she said: “how nice; I'm happy with everything that is happening to me”. Many times, we do not understand what we are going through. Then, God will send someone (a voice) to tell you that everything is part of the process, that God has a plan with you. God had to send Mordecai to tell her "you have come to the kingdom for such a time like this."

Preparation involves a transition. When a woman is pregnant, there are hormonal changes, sometimes loss of appetite (or increased appetite), changes in skin, hair, morning sickness ... but in the end, everything will be worth it. If you want to go from having a common, ordinary, routine life, to having a meaningful life and becoming a person who does great things, you must move from one place to another; you must transition; something must happen in your life; you must be introduced to a process; you must pay a price.

Transitions are sometimes uncomfortable. Some pregnant women reach a point of discomfort (if they had to lay in bed for long periods of time, if they had morning sickness for too long, or if they had pains) that they say "I do not want to continue with this"; but they have to finish their 40 weeks and give birth; there’s no way out. When I was in the process of having my son, Marco Andres, there was a moment when I got so tired of pushing that I told the doctor and my husband "I can't do it anymore." Imagine, I had no choice, the baby could not stay inside, either I gave birth, or I gave birth. But, when my firstborn was with us, all that pain and fatigue was worth it.

So it happens in the spiritual, there is something inside of you waiting to be born and you cannot say no, you have to give birth; you just have to! You might see yourself like someone insignificant, but God has not made one insignificant person. For this hour God has chosen you. Esther was the simplest of all the young ladies, but she won the favor of the King.

Going back to Frozen 2, Elsa saw herself like someone unnecessary, like a problem or holdback; but in the end, she had the greatest transformation she could have had in life, and not only that ... she found the reason for her power. She found HER PURPOSE! (That’s when she sings “Show Yourself”)

God allows us to go through uncomfortable, dark, difficult moments; but God has a plan for you. God wants to bless you. God is preparing you today. God wants to remove what will not take you to your purpose. But, even in the difficult moment, He will be with you. When you are about to enter a new season, you might not understand the reasons for the steps that took you to that place. The important thing is obedience; it is being able to set aside your emotions and obey.

God tests our faith, to see what we are made of, to see how we will react to transitions and processes; to see if we complain, or if we show that we trust in Him, if we recognize that there is a greater plan, if we declare that God knows what He is doing, if we keep confessing what His Word says. It’s for our faith to grow.

God may take you exactly to the place you don't want to go; to that “unknown” place, that place of the “unseen”, to face those fears that have stopped you for so long. But God has promised to be with you, that when you pass through the waters, you will not drown, and when you pass through the fire, you will not burn (Isaiah 43: 2). Oh, yes… Elsa also had to pass through waters and fire, but she was never alone.

You must make the decision to go through the process of brokenness. Say right now: “I am in a transition, I am in the dark room (like when photos are being developed) without being able to see what lies ahead, but I undergo the process; I will face my fears. After all, the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Pray: Lord, thank You because You are always with me. Even in my transitions and processes, I can see Your hand. I am willing to pay the price of my preparation in order to be used for Your glory. I trust You and Your plans. 

AmenListen to these songs, knowing Your Father’s voice: