Phillipians 3:21

  I have the power of God behind me.
  "(the Lord Jesus Christ) who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." NKJV
  "He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." JCB

  What strikes me most is to realize the great conforming power isn't force.
  Changes don't happen because of a punitive discipline that lashes out when with each  failure to "measure up". I don't toe-the-line because of fear. I am not subjugated by a harsh and punishing God who has given me a list of "how to live-s" then leaves me to get on with it, to sink or swim on my own.
  Even when God gave His Ten Commandments to the people of Israel, He sent teachers and prophets to guide His people. His master plan, knowing humanity wouldn't be able to uphold the commandments, was sending His Son to earth to fulfill the law and the prophets.
  My recent disaster has opened my eyes to where the power of God rises above all else. He imbues the good things of life with His Spirit. Guidance, community, relationships, scriptures, faith...all of it is enriched by His love, His Spirit and His Son.
  To be brought under His control isn't forced. It's only through choice, through electing to place Him at the head of my life that the force of our Great Good God can reign. Even then, He lets me choose how much or how little I want to get involved although it must grieve His heart when I turn my back on His generosity. It happens frequently but that's a whole other topic!
  To say I have the power of God behind me feels limiting, too, because while He is behind me, He is also in front of me, beside me and within me through His Spirit. Life with God is reaching, stretching to become a model of human perfection.
  We are given God's heart in the form of Jesus to follow, to emulate, to open our eyes to the limitless goodness within all people.
  I am awfully thankful that He wraps this quest in forgiveness and grace because I've a long way to go! To end with a cliché, "Life is a journey, not a destination."