Beautiful Butterfly

The butterfly is such a fascinating insect. It goes through transformations that are similar to life's spiritual transformations. Going through a spiritual transformation can be an ugly process. It's hard, and sometimes giving up seems like a good option. This post is to encourage you that after the ugly process, there is a beautiful butterfly.

The first stage of a butterfly is the hatching process, they are born. They are born not as butterflies but as caterpillars. This is the beginning of life. Just a simple creature living, crawling around eating. The eating continues, the caterpillars are always hungry. All they do is eat because they can not get enough. They spend their time searching for food. They get so big that they have to shed their skin. They shed over and over again until it is time for the third stage.

During the third stage they run and hide. Many times they bury themselves underground for protection. Some of them form cocoon like objects in trees. This stage is also known as the resting stage. This can last from anywhere from two weeks to six months. After this stage, emerges a beautiful butterfly.

I have personally had some things in my life that I had to shed. I was taking in too much of the wrong food (bad choices), therefore I had to get rid of the hurt and shame from those mistakes. Changing(shedding) can be an ugly process. There have been times that I need to hide. I had to get away from everyone because I needed some rest in God and to be restored into something new after shedding the bad choices I made. During that time of being in God, He fills me up with His love by me reading His word, meditating on it and praying with fasting. The process can be challenging because of temptation of loneliness, doubt but stay in the process (the cocoon). Finally, the beautiful butterfly arrives and we are ready to fly. In Isaiah 61:3 NIV to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

God wants to restore us to spiritual beauty. He wants us to live a life free from emotional hurt and filled with love. When we let Him restore us, we can fly, meaning we walk in our purpose. In Him, we are a new. Therefore if any person is [in grafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Version