Have you seen a butterfly this spring? My grandmother used to say you couldn’t go barefooted until you’d seen a white butterfly. I remember seeking them out as if looking for a red light to turn green. The first time I would see one, my toes would be free as my shoes would be flying. Ahhh…the signs of spring.
Butterflies are beautiful creatures. They move with grace and poise and it appears to be effortless at times. Butterflies didn’t start out that way. They start out as caterpillars as slow as molasses. They are dull in color and are bottom dwellers. There isn’t anything about them that would cause you to pause. As they work and work to reach a point of rest, life appears to be whizzing by them. They find their desired location and spin a dark, confining cocoon. Some caterpillars stay in their cocoon for ten days, others longer. Still there are other caterpillars who remain in their cocoon shorter than ten days. Each is unique. When their time is up, they fight to break free from their cocoon. Once they successfully escape, they spread their wings and begin to fly. Their wings are strong enough to take them where they want to go because the struggle to escape their cocoon strengthened their wings.
Does that sound even remotely familiar? We trudge along trying to make our way, feeling like life is passing us by. What do we do? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Do you need to rest in Him and allow Him to work in you? He’s issued the invitation, but the choice must be ours. He wants us to “be still and know” He is God and He will be faithful and do what He’s called us to [Psalm 46:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:24].
Many of us feel like we’re trapped in something similar to a cocoon. There are times He allows us to go through things that may feel like a valley, or worse, death. But He reminds us it is not a destination or a foundation for our future but a passing through and He goes with us [Psalm 23:4]. Most importantly, we’re reminded when we place ourselves completely in His care, He does an amazing work in our lives transforming us into something new [Isaiah 61:1-3]. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Just as a slow moving, ugly caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful, soaring butterfly, Christ takes us and transforms us into His likeness, but we must be willing.
So what do you say? Are you tired of crawling? Are you ready to sore? What will you do differently today to bring about a change?