As
a little girl my sister & I loved to catch the "black furry
caterpillars." We would get a shoe box, punch dozens of air holes in
the top. Then it was time to scour around the neighborhood looking for
all the décor. Lots of broken tree branches with bright green leaves
still attached, Small twigs, grass, and a little dirt. We wanted our
new pet to feel right at home in his new environment. Finding
the caterpillar was another adventure. This process could take days,
sometimes weeks, but we never failed to catch our "pet." We took it
home and with a sense of pride, presented it to our mom, who promptly
replied, "That better not get out of the shoebox or it's the last time
you'll ever have one!"
We would play with our little fuzzy pet
daily. We even took him on bike rides, carefully placing the "home" in
the basket and taking it out to show our friends. One day, not long
after we had it, we went to pull out our little fur ball, but it wasn't
there. In its place was a small green hidden pouch, hanging beneath the
tree branch. It had made a cocoon, and was undergoing a new
transformation. Two
weeks went by as we waited for our caterpillar to change. It was
frustrating; we were impatient, checking the box daily. Knowing that
once it had changed forms, we would have to let it go. It was a strange
emotion, sad to have to give up our new friend, but so excited to see
the change. The
day finally came...lifting the corner of the box, to peak
inside...bright orange and black wings fluttered. With a squeal of
delight, I ran to tell my sister. We gently carried the box outside,
preparing to let it free. We counted in unison, "1..2...3!" Opening the
lid, it burst out, fluttering up, lingering in front of us for a
moment, as we gazed at its beauty, then higher and higher until it was
out of sight. In
our lives, many of us are like my pet caterpillar, stuck in our
everyday box. We have made a comfortable home there, however, we are
made for more than what we are currently living. We have a bigger
purpose, something that is greater than we can imagine.
We
slowly began the painful process of sitting inside our cocoons. Each of
our cocoons looks different, just like caterpillars. Your
transformations are happening under the disguise of difficult times.
You may be jobless, sick, hurting, lonely, unfulfilled, grieving,
fearful, angry, sad, or worried...we all have cocoons. We need to
realize that during this process, God is right beside us, carrying us
safely through our transformation. He will help us when we cry out to
Him...moving us ever so gently towards whom we are supposed to be. We
need to be patient, this change cannot happen overnight. We need to
shed our "old skin" and with faith, patience, prayer and time, He will
help us to eventually emerge as the butterfly... brilliant, beautiful
and free. Knowing how to fly because you have complete faith. You are
fulfilling God's will and true purpose for your life. You have become
the person that God intended you to be!
He
says, "I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set
free from the basket. In your distress you called and I rescued you, I
answered you out of a thundercloud. Psalms 81:6, 7
But
whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord
is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18
You
will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will
clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12
Moths build silk cocoons; butterflies molt into shedding skins to achieve a chrysalis.
However, the photo of that curled up caterpillar, in the first photo, is one of the isabella or wooley bear caterpillar, which in order to metamorphosize, does neither; it burrows underground and emerges eventually as an unobsequious moth.
The bottom two photos are of the ubiquitous Monarch butterfly.
However, I do get your poignant and lovely point, here!(I am am amateur lepidopterist who as a hobby specializes in rearing and releasing Giant Native Silkmoths such as Cecropia, Luna, Prometheus and Polyphemus all of who are gorgeous and have eight to ten inch wingspreads).
I guess my point here is that one can play ostrich with one's head in the ground and still fly away one day. Paul Schroeder
LOL...I definitely don't know that much about butterflies. I just know that we would catch caterpillars that would turn into butterflies in our box. I decided to find some pictures online to add for the visual reader.
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