2022 Time To Do Doing Something New!

I recently saw a post that said, "Don't be afraid to start over. This time you're not starting from scratch, you're starting from experience."  

I thought WOW!!! That's it! I'm not starting from SCRATCH, I am starting from EXPERIENCE! I would often tell people that the trials we face are not for us, they're for those coming up behind us. Once I learned that it made it easier to deal with life situations. My health issues, not being able to find a job, my mother having a stroke, my son losing everything in a house fire, my divorce after being married 18 years, being homeless, and so on...ALL EXPERIENCES!!! ALL LESSONS from God! ALL TO BREAK ME & GROW ME! These trials came to make me strong. 

My Facebook profile name is Lisa Prettybutterfly Simon (Pryor). Pryor is my legal name, Simon is my maiden name. Someone asked me what the name PrettyButterfly was about...I chose the name PrettyButterfly after my divorce for several reasons. I love the beauty of butterflies! I understand the process that butterflies go through: 

• The first stage is as an egg; we start our growth out as tiny eggs, fragile and delicate. Needing protection and nourishment for growth, though people show hard exteriors and put up shields when we give our hearts to the Lord we come under his guidance and protection until we mature.
• The second stage is as a caterpillar; when we hatch out of our eggs we aren't butterflies yet but a caterpillar. Slowly moving and always eating. This is similar to the Christian life, we start our journey with God slowly but are constantly fed, parts of our lifestyle become hard to digest, and as such we get rid of old habits, friends, places that hinder our growth just as a caterpillar outgrows its skin.
• The third stage is as a cocoon; in this stage, the caterpillar has reached its total growth. They build a protective shell to prepare for the next stage of life. It's in the cocoon where the caterpillar spends quality time with the Lord. This is a time of breaking, rest, shedding of old ways, and rebuilding/renewal. In our cocoons, we need to be ready to hear what God has for us and the work he has prepared for us to do.
• The fourth and final stage is a butterfly, the transformation from a ground, slow-moving caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly is complete.

 After my divorce, I didn't feel beautiful, but it was more of an internal feeling. One day I saw a post on Facebook that said,  "Butterflies ...They can't see how beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that.” -Naya Rivera I felt like this lady got me even though she didn't know me. I decided to tap into myself and embrace the Pretty Butterfly within me. The other part of that was the relation to our lives as Christians...I thought about Job (I secretly named myself Jobetta) how he lost everything he had (like me), he lost his children (I became an empty-nester a lot different, but hard after a divorce). I'll never forget the first time I got Shingles!!! I thought to myself, Oh you're really trying to be Job!  Job had sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. I lost all my hair that year because the Shingles were on my scalp. Thankfully this last time I got them on my forehead and a few on my scalp, but I didn't lose my hair. Thank God. In the midst of it all, I never lost my faith!

Here I am today...recently I read: 4 Signs God Is Breaking You So He Can Bless You, by Mark Ballenger

• If God Is Making You Face Your Fears from the Past That Are Still Affecting Your Present, This Is a Sign He Is Actually Breaking You So He Can Remake You

• If God Is Stripping You of All the People, Places, and Things That You Have Found Comfort in, This Is Actually a Sign God Is Breaking You so He Can Remake You

I've never been so alone as I have been over the last 3 almost 4 years. I can be in a crowd and still feel no relationship with those around me...I'm okay with myself and being alone...but get it right, I'm not LONELY! There's a difference. 

• If God Is Taking Away Your Strength, This Is a Sign He Is Actually Breaking You to Remake You

Unlike the world’s advice, the Bible actually tells us that to be blessed we first need to become weak (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Sometimes we need to be still and let God do HIS work in us.

• If God Is Showing You How to Fight Your Old Identity and Embrace Your New Identity, This Is a Sign God Is Breaking You to Remake You

God will not only break you to remake you, but he will also rename you too. In other words, before God blesses you, he will change your very identity (Romans 6:4).

I feel I have learned a lot through all of the ups and downs...I've learned to trust the process! 

As I venture into new areas of life, I am truly starting anew. I lost everything but the clothes I have and a few pairs of shoes. I was reluctant to make this post because people can be judgemental and cruel. But here I am having a transparent moment. I spent the last year helping care for my mother. She is in a much better place in her healing. I asked her if I can go because I need to work. I have to retire one day. I praise God for the example she set before us as a 25-year retiree from her former job. She said, Go...so I'm going. (smile) 

If the Lord places it on your heart to be a blessing to me, I am grateful. If not, that's okay. It is my prayer that God goes before me and opens doors unto me and blows my mind! Pray for me as I pray for you all. God bless!

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