Butterflies

Butterflies are so pretty to me.  I get excited when I see one flying by, and I get even more excited when I have my camera and get the opportunity to capture it when it lands.  But have you ever thought about the transformation that a butterfly goes through?

Let’s get scientific for a minute.  The four stages of a butterfly are egg, larva, pupa, and adult.  It is the larva stage in which we know it as a caterpillar.  As the caterpillar goes through the next stage, they form a hard protective coating (similar to a cocoon which a moth creates).  Some consider the pupa stage the “resting stage”.  Within this stage, the metamorphosis begins to happen.  The changes are taking place on the inside even though on the outside it looks like nothing is happening.

I often wonder what is going through the mind of a caterpillar when they are experiencing the transformation into a butterfly.  If I were a caterpillar, I would probably be thinking “This is it.  This is as good as it gets.”  Do they think their life has peaked and is never going to get better?

A few years ago, I thought my life had peaked.  I had reached all of my goals at work, so there wasn’t much to strive for there.  My personal life wasn’t progressing like I had wanted in certain areas, so I had given up on certain things such as marriage.  I had wanted to buy some land, but couldn’t find anything that fit what I wanted.  So, it felt like I was stuck.  It felt like my life was at the max it was going to reach, so I wasn’t sure how to thrive in that atmosphere.  I had nothing to look forward to.

But then the transformation started.  I began to change.  I began to have a new mindset.  I began to set new goals.  And just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, something magical happened within me and my life became beautiful again.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Romans 12:2 (ESV)