THE ONION PEEL OF HEALING
2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMPC)
18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
THE ONION PEEL PROCESS OF HEALING
In Greek, the term Glory, when used in the New Testament, is defined as "always good, hence praise, and honor."1 Thayer's Greek Lexicon further explains the usage of the term Glory as it is used in 2 Corinthians 3:18 as "the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellence of Christ."2 When the definition is applied to humankind, Glory means, "in which he excels by virtue of his nature."3 The definition describes the action of promotion in man, demonstrated by the strength, bravery, and moral goodness of the works of the Lord in his life.
Each step and promotion of Glory purifies us. The experience of going from "Glory to Glory" continually transforms our inner man and refines us to exemplify and model Christ. Let's think about the process of peeling onions. The outer layer of the onion is fragile and breaks apart easily. Sometimes, you must peel back several layers to get to the fleshy part of the onion. When the fleshy layers of the onion are peeled, enzymes and sulfoxides are released. Sometimes, during this process, tears are shed.
Now, let's examine this illustration spiritually. The outer layer of the onion represents the protective covering that we use to hide what is truly a representation of ourselves. Depending upon the level of hurt, pain, disappointment, and rejection we have experienced, the Lord requires that more layers be removed. Upon removing each layer, we gain more revelations about the Lord and His plan for our lives, we begin to see our desperate need for a Savior, and finally, we desire to submit to His will in every area of our lives. We even come to a place of acknowledging that He delights in the entire process of healing. He sees every small victory of healing as you "excelling by the virtue of your nature."
So often, during a healing journey, there is a tendency to want to get through the complex, uncomfortable parts quickly. We aim to get to the other side to achieve the benefits of being healed. However, we must realize that the Lord is not in a hurry. When we allow the Lord to guide us through a complete healing journey, He addresses our sins and fears; He comforts us in our anguish, deals with the known and unknown issues in our life, creates in us a new heart of forgiveness, dismantles personal strongholds and bloodline curses, and realigns our spiritual DNA. After spiritual surgery, he provides aftercare instructions, including methods for staying spiritually purified, ways to draw continual strength from the Lord, the steps for spiritual growth, and developing new spiritual habits.
When you think of the intentionality of the Lord and what it means to submit to His healing process, we must admit His timetable is usually different than our own. He knows there is so much more He plans to do in our lives while navigating our healing journey. The healing process builds patience, humility, and intimacy with our Heavenly Father. So, the next time you are faced with the choice of getting on the spiritual surgery table to engage in an onion peel experience with the Lord, don't question how long it will take. Welcome an opportunity to be a partaker of "Glory to Glory."
THROUGH GOD'S GRACE.
DR. MALLORY GARY
https://payhip.com/Ma57oryMMG77
References
1. Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Strong’s Concordance) (Cincinnati: Jennings & Graham, 1890), s.v. doxa, accessed 5 September 2024, via Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/1391.htm
2. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon (Strong’s NT 1391), s.v. majesty(b), accessed 5 September 2024, via Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/1391.htm
3. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon (Strong’s NT 1391), s.v. majesty(b), accessed 5 September 2024, via Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/1391.htm