When I awake in Your likeness

by: carole l. haines

I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. More of You, Lord; Less of me. You must increase, and I, decrease; until all that is me, is swallowed up by all that is You.
I was watering my flowers this morning, and my hose kinked. That steady stream of refreshment for the plants suddenly became a mere trickling drip, drip, drip. There are times when I am a kinked hose, too. Worries of this world, the desire for comfort and ease; I allow these to choke out my Zeal for Christ.
God has been blowing the embers still burning inside me, and I am praying for a revival in my heart. Perhaps you are praying that for yourself, too. I want to see revival in the world, revival in the church, revival in our nation, revival inside me. Philippians puts it this way:

So what is this revival of spirit, soul, and body that I long for? What exactly does it mean for me, for you; for everyone?

And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. (Ezra 9:8 NKJV)

To revive: from sickness, discouragement, faintness, death. To cause to grow, to restore to life. To restore to health, refresh.
O yes, to refresh; like running through a sprinkler or diving into a pool on a steamy, hot day. Doesn’t that just sound so refreshing? Often I will find an ailing flower in my garden. The cause could be too little water, or too much: Too much sun, or too little. But I just can’t let something die without giving it a chance to live again. I rescue injured animals, dazed butterflies who have been knocked about by a car. I believe this is part of the Image of God inside me.
My Mom chided me often, as a child, for coming home with dead birds, just so I could give them a decent burial. Boy, I sure must have given her a fright about diseases, carrying those things home. But all of life is precious, sacred, valuable. God desire to awaken us, renew us, transform us and remake us into the image of our Precious Jesus. Here is one final amazing Scripture tucked neatly away in an interesting story of the Bible. Please read the whole story in your own time. It is found in 2 Samuel 14.

Truly, our mighty God does not just sweep life away. We are given new chances, time and time again. Growing in Christ is a lengthy process. We must receive God’s Grace, and extend it generously towards one another, and towards ourselves.