One of my favorite mythical creatures is the Phoenix. The myth tells us that, as the phoenix nears the end of it’s life, it builds a nest out of aromatic branches and spices, then sets fire to the nest and disappears in the pyre. As the fire gives way to ashes, a young phoenix rises, gaining new life in exchange for the one which was sacrificed.

It’s not difficult to see the connection I make to the sacrificed life of Christ, from which new life arose for all of humanity, should they choose to accept it. From my perspective, we all experience some form pyre in our lives, where our old self is burned away and a new self emerges. I’d venture to say many of us experience this a number of times through the course of our lives. We reach a place where we feel mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically burned and broken down to the core. It is in this state that God is able to do His best work.

While we feel utterly destroyed, God sees an opportunity to build us up stronger than we were…using our ashes and broken pieces to create someone stronger and more beautiful than before the perceived destruction. It is when we feel we have nothing left to give, when we feel completely helpless and unsure of what path to take, we are finally able to stop trying to solve things ourselves and let God take hold of our lives. As we spin and fret over what to do and how to accomplish something, we are trying to do God’s job for Him. We are showing Him that we don’t trust His love and His promises. When we are told, “the truth shall set you free,” it means accepting the truth of God’s love and His guiding hand in our lives sets us free from the burden of trying to figure it all out for ourselves. It sets us free from needing to have all the answers.

Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about whether or not we are being the person God wants us to be, we forget that we are already exactly who He created us to be. We forget to focus on what is right in front of us, doing the best we can with the day we’ve been given, trusting that the days ahead will take care of themselves as a result of the way we spend the one at hand. Praying for guidance and talking to God about all aspects of our lives, not just the “big stuff,” is how we do our best to do God’s will. By staying in close communion with God, we will always get to where He needs us to be.

Never forget that God is with you, literally residing inside of you. Never forget that, because of His sacrifice, we will always be capable of rising up out of the ashes, as the spirit of the Lord conquers all. Never forget that we are all equipped to be a Phoenix Rising!