GO like the Butterfly

If you are like most women, you hate anything slimy or anything that crawls (except babies of course).

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So yes, this means many of you hate insects. What are your thoughts on caterpillars - slimy, tons of legs, disgusting? However, what do you think about butterflies- colorful, gracious, beautiful?

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Did a butterfly start off their life in their full splendor?  No.   Taking you back to biology class, the butterfly develops through a process called metamorphosis. This is a Greek word that means transformation or change in shape.

The young, called a larva, is very different from the adults. Its transformation doesn’t happen overnight but it goes through four stages: egg, larva (also called the caterpillar), pupa, and adult.

How are we as women, moms, wives, sisters, daughter-in-laws- just like a butterfly?

We all start out like an egg - being birthed in our mother’s belly.

Psalm 139: 13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.”

From the egg, we are birthed and continue in our larva – caterpillar stage.
The job of the caterpillar is to eat and eat and eat. As the caterpillar grows it splits its skin and sheds it about 4 or 5 times. Food eaten at this time is stored and used later as an adult. Caterpillars can grow 100 times their size during this stage. For example, a monarch butterfly egg is the size of a pinhead and the caterpillar that hatches from this tiny egg isn't much bigger. But it will grow up to 2 inches long in several weeks.

Like this caterpillar, this is the stage where we are now. You, me, all of us. Most of us are looking at us and saying, what, really? Is she worthy? Did she really do that? Did she really say that? We are searching for meaning and purpose.  If you are a Christian, you are eating and eating, feeding from the word of God – seeking Him.

During this caterpillar stage, stay seeking. The pupa stage- the transition stage- is coming.

Depending on the species of butterfly, the pupa may suspended under a branch, hidden in leaves or buried underground. The pupa of many moths is protected inside a coccoon of silk. This stage can last from a few weeks, a month or even longer. Some species have a pupal stage that lasts for two years.

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Like this butterfly, during our pupa stage things appear dead for us. Nothing is happening, we aren’t hearing from God. It appears dead, silence, asking ourselves where is God?  It is dark, you don’t know what is happening, what is going to happen and who you are going to become? It may look like nothing is happening, but big changes are happening in the inside. 

In this stage of the butterfly special cells that were present in the larva are now growing very rapidly. They will become the legs, eyes, wings and other parts of the adult butterfly.
Through this stage, you are surviving on all that you are and ate as a caterpillar- filling of the Word of God.  As a butterfly, we can stay in this cocoon- trial- for weeks, months, or years. How long we are in the cocoon varies from person to person. It is God’s plan and part of our growing process.
You have to die to some things first.

Luke 22:39-44 As “The Seed,” He fell into the ground and died  – the first born from the dead.”  The seed is planted in the ground. Dark, moist, a condition with no light.

John 12:24 – Unless the seed falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it dies . .

Things we must die to:

a. Reputation

b. Being noticed or included (Matthew 6:1)

c. Receiving credit for your efforts

d. How we look (perfection)

e. Everything being OUR way

f. Things

g. The need to be right

h. Your own dreams and visions : Cannot be ambition or fleshly zeal & cannot lean on natural talent.

Before the birth it seems like it was dead but a struggle appears to be happening.  The trial gets harder. But if you give up now…you are so close.  Sometimes we want to help others through this stage but if we actually try to help by opening the cocoon, it can actually die or have future impediments (you have to let people go through what they need to go through---your kids, your husbands, your friends).  

Die to what you are now – to become what you were meant to be.

Like in birth, what does the doctor say? “Bear down and PUSH.” If you are here, you have to push forward. Don’t give up 5 minutes away from the miracle.

John 6 – Jesus brings the disciples to transition, and most of them backslid because it was “too hard.”

Push and the birthing process is over. The butterfly is born.

Philippians 1:6 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

You have been transformed into what God designed you to be. That dream, who God wants you to be, don’t try to birth it too early or hurry it up. You can’t microwave maturity. You have to go through what you need to go through.

Are you ready to be transformed?

Remember you came from that caterpillar, don’t judge other caterpillars, there is hope.
God will finish what he started but it is a process….a transformation has to take place. You have to die to some things. You will be the beautiful butterfly. 

James 1:21: Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

So YES, MOM, GO!  Continue the journey and be who God wants you to be.  Join with me in the journey.

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