“We must take time to upgrade our image of God.”
Graham Cooke
Airline upgrades are fun to experience. Years ago, John and I were pleasantly surprised when the airline upgraded our seats from economy to first class on an hour flight from Minneapolis to Omaha. At first it felt strange, like we didn’t belong there; then we embraced the pampering and special snacks.
These past two months I had the daunting task of making extensive book revisions suggested from a women’s pilot group. God, in His kindness, equipped me with all that I needed to complete the task. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (II Peter 1:3). When I finished the process, this is what He said. Look at you! Look at who you’ve become through the writing process. I’ve given you a glimpse of who you really are.
Through the series of steps it took to revise my book, God upgraded my image of myself. He did this by disproving the specific lies I believed. He showed me: I do focus, I am disciplined, and I persevere. God held up a mirror, so I could see who I had become. I am sensitive to His promptings, I can set healthy boundaries, and am able to pay attention to details without becoming overwhelmed.
My image of God was also upgraded as I grew in knowing who He is as my faithful God who fulfills His promises. He said to me, I am a God who gives to you what you need and who you need to get you where I want you to be. I tasted of His abounding grace and saw how trustworthy He is. I experienced His goodness and found whatever we do together is life-giving.
God took the time set aside to make book revisions and made it worthwhile by upgrading my self-image by dismantling the lies I believed and exchanged them with the truth, of how He saw me. He showed me how my writing adventure with Him is an invitation to intimacy and a way to improve my perception of who He is. Upgrades, whether on a plane or in my relationship with God, are fun to experience.
“Sometimes an obstacle is placed in front of us by God for the purpose of upgrading our vision and experiencing our dream at a higher level. The obstacle can only be here by permission of God, so it has to help us become what He is seeing about us.”
Graham Cooke
Relevant Reflections:
How has God recently upgraded your image of yourself? What lies did He demolish and replace with the truth?
Describe a time when your perception of God received an upgrade.