Rebecca Barnes Hobbs
Hi and Welcome to my blog!
I am so glad you stopped by. I'm a native of the Deep South and have the accent to prove it.
I’ve worn many hats in my life – television news reporter/anchor, seminary student, writer, editor, teacher, wife, and mother of four grown children.
Most recently I have become a spiritual director and energy healer. Through it all, I’ve been a seeker of truth, and I suppose that’s what defines me best right now. I hope you will come often and stay for long visits as we discover truth together!
This space is a vibrant collage of art, stories, experiences, and people. I want to cultivate a safe place for us to explore the depth of God’s immense love for us and His vastness—a soft place to land in the messy rhythms and seasons of spiritual transformation.
The chrysalis is an apt example of what happens to us through spiritual transformation. In a dark, hard cocoon, a caterpillar is completely dismantled then reconstructed into a stunning butterfly. In the midst of dark, difficult seasons, it seems nearly impossible to see God’s purpose in our pain, but we, too, are melted down for the purpose of being remade into His vision for us. A glorious rebirth.
Let’s walk together, shoulder to shoulder, as we practice seeing God and His amazing goodness in the details of our days.
Living In The Chrysalis
Why did I choose this name for my website? Well, I think the chrysalis is an apt example of what happens to us through spiritual transformation.
A chrysalis is the hard structure in which a caterpillar hides for weeks to be completely dismantled then reconstructed into a stunning butterfly.
The caterpillar first spins a small, tight knot of silk on a branch, then sheds its skin, and finally produces an enzyme which dissolves its entire body, hardening some of the liquid into a new exoskeleton, the chrysalis. It is excellent protection because once the caterpillar enters the chrysalis, it is completely helpless. Total metamorphosis takes place as the molecules realign themselves to produce an entirely different creature, looking nothing like it did before.
In fact, it even functions differently—the caterpillar crawled, the butterfly takes to the sky! In the same way, as we are hidden with Christ in the chrysalis, we are utterly changed into a new creature. The old passes away totally.
Col. 3:10 “[You] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
“Put on” here means to envelope or hide in. In a sense it is like putting on a garment, such as a coat. It envelopes us and hides most of our body. Yet, the idea of putting on Christ, or our new nature, is much more than that. It is a subtle process, filled with mystery. The work of Christ within us is going on constantly and will not stop until we stand before Him. The aim here is that our old nature will be completely hidden by Christ; we will be conformed to His nature, and it will be as if He is walking around in our bodies.
As we are hidden with Christ in the chrysalis, we are utterly changed into a new creature. The old passes away totally. In the midst of dark, difficult seasons, seeing God’s purpose in our pain may seem impossible, but we too are being melted down for the purpose of being remade into His vision for us—a glorious rebirth. Check out my blog post Putting on Christ to learn more about the chrysalis image and Christ’s work in our lives. I’d be honored if you would visit with me often here and explore living in the chrysalis and all the many ways we may become new creatures!