A Butterfly Soul in a Caterpillar World

By Dr. Beverly Rose

In this compelling page turner, filled with wisdom and humorous personal stories, Dr. Beverly Rose illustrates the power of soul living. You’ll discover:

· Why you were born
· Who you are
· How you can live abundantly
· What you’re destined to accomplish

Come and be transformed!

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Sep 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386227373

Dr. Beverly Rose

Beverly Rose, D.Min., Psy.D., C.P.C. is an ordained minister, former Harvard clinical psychologist, Christian counselor, and certified professional coach. She has appeared nationally on radio and television. Despite living with a neuromuscular disease, she experiences great joy and hope in the Lord.

Book preview

Foreword

A Butterfly Soul in a Caterpillar World is a wonderful adventure for both the heart and mind. By picking up this book, you have in your hands a roadmap that will lead you to spiritual transformation. I am convinced that this is quite possibly one of the finest and most complete works on what it means to live a transformed life.

With wisdom and humor, Dr. Beverly Rose tackles the tough questions when it comes to the reality of our purpose in this life and the choices we must make if we are to have an impact and make a difference. You will come face to face with God as you learn and understand that you were formed with a purpose and with a soul—a soul that can change the world as you draw closer to God. Prepare to have your perspective—and your life—changed forever.

Do you believe there is a God in heaven who created all life and loves you more than you could possibly imagine? Open your eyes and see. The complexity and design of the world around us leads us to the conclusion that there must be a grand designer or creator. God is a big God, and we are privileged to behold even a fraction of His majesty. The Scriptures are clear about the fact that God exists and that He created the whole world and all that is in it. All things were created by an orderly, wise God. He is the only source of creation and life. There is no tangible evidence that suggests otherwise. And He created all of this from absolutely nothing. This same awesome God, who created the universe, also created your soul.

We cannot look at the universe without seeing intelligent design. When I behold the wonder of His handiwork, I am drawn right to Scripture where we are told, By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth (Psalm 33:6). I am constantly astounded when I look to the heavens. Aren’t you?

I have made my home in Colorado where, on the perfect night, you can sit outside, roll out a blanket, put your head back, and be left speechless by what your eyes behold. It is overwhelming to witness the grand creativity of our awesome God. When you look up you see the splendor of His work, and when you look down you see the splendor of His work. You are surrounded by it, and it is all beautiful and designed by a creator for a purpose. That means you were created for a purpose—and so was your soul.

We have a God of details—an orderly and wise God who assembles for purpose. Amazingly, He knows the number of hairs on your head (Matt 10:30). Your fingerprints, your eyes, your wrinkles (I have a few more of those these days), even your hair color—all of these are unique. There are 7 billion people walking the earth and billions more who have gone before them, yet no two humans are alike. We are all individually designed by a God who loves us. With the same level of detail and perfection that God created the heavens above He created your soul, which is unique to you and you alone.

Listen to what God says: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5). Before you were born, God knew you. That means the artist was working on His masterpiece, shaping the clay vessel while it was cooking in the oven. When you were born, you were perfect in design—freckles, wrinkles, and all. A person with not just a body but also a soul.

A popular contemporary praise song contains the words, Purify my heart, Let me be as gold. These sentiments, written by Brian Doerksen, reflect the Christian’s deep longing to be sanctified and to fulfill his Creator’s intentions for their life. The refinement process is used to remove impurities from precious metals—a task that requires intense heat. (For comparison, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but gold doesn’t melt until it reaches a temperature of 1,945 degrees!) As the gold liquefies in the smelting furnace, unwanted properties called slag rise to the surface. After cooling, the slag is chiseled away and the purified metal remains.

Similarly, when a believer yields to God, the Master Refiner strips away those things that hinder sanctification, so the beauty of His character can shine through with clarity. God knows just what is necessary to rid our lives of undesirable traits and get us back on track. Unlike a wildfire that burns uncontrollably, destroying whatever is in its path, the cleansing flames of the Lord remove only the slag. His actions are skillfully wrought to draw His children closer to Himself.

You are a living, breathing masterpiece, and the Father looks down with pleasure at the work of His hands. We only need to realize this to make His heart beat with joy. It is a day of rejoicing when the creation recognizes the creator and His contribution to the canvas of life. God loves you. In fact, He loves you so much that He gave His own Son to save you. If you are seeking Him, this is the greatest, most important journey of your life.

A Butterfly Soul in a Caterpillar World leads you deep within your soul to discover the truths that will transform you and your life. It’s a must for the most important decisions you face. Everyone should have this resource at their bedside to remind them of the greater purpose—the greater calling—in their lives.

Pastor John Bornshein

The National Day of Prayer Task Force (Former VP)

Focus on the Family Speaker and Radio Personality

Prologue

Imagine a life without limits. A life of infinite possibilities and limitless potential. Where the unthinkable becomes conceivable and the impossible possible. Where miracles really do come true. You needn’t imagine—that life exists in you.

You are not just born to breathe. You are also born of divine breath. You are not just made from dust returning to Earth. You are also spirit rising to heaven, returning to God. You can do more than you ever thought possible and be more than you dare to believe.

When I was afflicted with an incurable neuromuscular disease, I thought my life was over. That’s when I discovered who I truly am. Not a beleaguered body sitting in a wheelchair destined to die. Not a bundle of emotions wrapped in despair. Not a bungling mind questioning why. But an empowered soul perched on the edge of eternity, with limitless and unbounded possibilities. I was a lost soul who found powerful and miraculous ways to live through my soul—and so can you.

Soul living means centering your soul in God and living a God-centered life. Not being overcome by your trials but overcoming them by the power of the Lord. Not believing in false hopes—but in the hope and promise of Jesus Christ. It means living every day communing with the Lord spirit to Spirit. Feeling joy in the midst of pain and sorrow. Not accepting what you seem to be—but knowing who you really are.

Your soul makes you you and enables you to live powerfully in God. You need only have ears to hear the divine wisdom residing there.

The Lord created you to be a butterfly, not a caterpillar. He gave you a soul—a divine chrysalis through which you can take wing. Your soul is a sacred place where you and your life can be miraculously transformed.

So come along. Explore the sacred secrets of the soul. Discern who you truly are. Determine how you’re meant to live. Discover what you’re destined to do. Engage in soul living and your life will be transformed forever.

Because the miracles of soul living are in you!

Introduction

I was first convinced of the reality of the soul when my mother did something most mothers never do: she died twice. The first time was on a beautiful Florida morning in April when she awoke me from a sound sleep. I don’t feel well. That was all she said before proceeding to her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed and stopped breathing. I bent over my mother’s lifeless body. Is she dead? I whispered to myself. I probably should have asked her, but I didn’t want to worry her just in case she really was.

I touched her shoulder. She didn’t move. Oh, dear God, she is dead! I screamed loudly enough to wake the dead. But not her. I placed my hand over her mouth to feel for breath and checked for a pulse. My heart pounded. Hers didn’t. Her body grew rigid; her gaze became fixed and glassy. Breathe, Mom, breathe! I shouted over and over again. But she wasn’t deaf, just dead. Finally, in resignation, I whispered, I love you, Mom. I love you. I thought they would be my last words to her.

Then I had an insight. I placed my mouth over hers and blew a stream of air into her lungs. Suddenly she stirred to life. It wasn’t long before she took advantage of her newfound breath to speak.

I was floating. It was so nice and peaceful. Then I heard you say ‘I love you’ and I decided to come back.

From the dead, Mom? I wondered. But I dared

not ask.

The paramedics finally arrived to rush her to the emergency room. She was long settled in her hospital bed when I found myself sitting on a bench on the local boardwalk, trying to calm myself down. The death scene may have been over, but the dreadful reruns played on in my mind. One minute she was here and the next, where? My mother’s body lay whole on the bed, minus my mother. One minute her eyes were vibrant; the next, vacant. One moment they were valuable agents of sight; the next, obsolete orbs. In those eyes I saw her leave and then return as if she had never left. Somewhere in between, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the person who was my mother. She was not the body she was in—and out of—and in again. She was far more.

Mysteriously, I had experienced a body without a person, while my mother claimed to have been a person without a body. It was as if a flame could exist without a wick. Didn’t something have to enable the flame to burn? Was it possible that what I had witnessed in her eyes as she returned to life was a divine spark? I didn’t know, but I had come close enough to know that something miraculous was there.

The second time I saw my mother die was only three weeks later, as she lay dying from complications of open-heart surgery. My brother Ed and I were at her side, watching the numbers on the monitor sink gravely. Just before my mother took her last breath, my brother and I did something we cannot explain even to this day. Simultaneously, we placed our hands on her stomach. Suddenly, something amazing happened. At first I wasn’t sure it had happened at all, until my brother asked, Did you feel that?

As my eyes met his, I tried to speak but stood dumbfounded, afraid to acknowledge what I thought he meant. Finally, in a hushed tone, I murmured, I think I did. I think I felt something go right through my—

My brother cut me off, words rushing out of his mouth before he could catch them. Something rose through my hands, too! he exclaimed.

I found myself wondering if my mother was smiling down on us, hoping we would believe in what we could not see.

I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother used her final day on Earth