The Butterfly Effect: Shedding the Old Skin
#SpritualSundays
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. (NKJV)
Have you ever wondered how a caterpillar sheds its old skin and then becomes a butterfly? Anyone that really knows me will know that I am terrified of butterflies! I don’t know why but ever since I was a child I would run when I saw them or when they got anywhere near me. Visiting my dad just a few months ago one got close to me and I was out; he laughed and said, “you got to be kidding me; you’re still scared of them?” I almost laughed at myself but then I had to think about it; what was I afraid of and how could I move past it?
Sometimes to fully understand or comprehend something you should put on your investigative hat and do some research; so, I decided to dive in; care to join me?
First, I wanted to find out how do butterflies even come into play? I learned in elementary that caterpillars turn into butterflies (by the way I don’t care for caterpillars either or anything creepy and crawly!) and they go through stages to become a butterfly; but what were those stages?
First stage: Egg
Second stage: Caterpillar or Larva (The Feeding Stage)
Third stage: Pupa (The Transition Stage)
Adult: Butterfly (The Reproductive Stage)
The whole process is called metamorphosis which in Greek means “transformation or change in shape” (The Academy of Natural Sciences: Drexel University)
And this is where scripture comes into play; let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 again; you are a new creation and the old things have gone away (paraphrased). How do you become a new creation? How do you rid of the old person, old ways, old habits, old language, old reflexes, old tendencies, old temptations; and become new and improved?
Just like a caterpillar you enter metamorphosis and become transformed! Romans 12:2 says this “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”. (NIV)
When you were conceived you were just an egg that had to be developed; when you began to grow inside your mother’s womb; you had to be properly fed and receive proper nutrients to develop vital parts and organs (caterpillar), to be full term you are there for 9 months and protected not only by the womb but also another protective layer (pupa) due to being precious cargo. When it is time to be born (you shed the old skin and take on a new skin); you are handed to the one that carried you during the transition stages and will continue to guide you through the rest of your life (adult).
How different are our life stages from a butterfly? What do you think is going on through the pupa stages that differs from a human baby; how does that tie into being a new creation (Christian-follower of Jesus-born again)? Can you go to the club on Saturday and be in church on Sunday praising Him? Can you still be committing adultery and ushering people to their seats on Sunday morning? Can you still be going to the strip club and serving as a Youth Leader on Sundays? Can you wish harm on others and still pray for God to bless you? “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]”. Matthew 6:24 (AMP)
Growth and change takes time; but you should be involved and committed to the full process! You can’t say you Luv God and don’t act like it! You can’t say you’re a born-again Christian and don’t fully represent Him! You can’t say touch not my anointed and you’re living like you’re from the demon family!
If you’re aspiring to be a part of the Kingdom of the Most High; then your old man/woman has to be shredded and shed! Throughout the stages of becoming a butterfly; caterpillars shed their old skin and come out beautifully and wonderfully made! Need I say anymore?
So many of us are claiming to be born-again, Christian, saved, sanctified and filled with The Holy Ghost but who are you representing? Anyone that makes a statement isn’t doing so under oath and therefore how do we take it to be truth?
So as I reflected on my fear of butterflies I had to check myself! How can I claim to be a child of the Most High and fearful; not only that but fearful of something that He created? “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]”. 2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)
Copyrighted 2017 Tamara McCarthy Enterprises
References:
http://www.ansp.org/explore/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/
tamaramccarthyenterprises.com 