“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live” (Galatians 2:20)
My father was a real jokester. He liked to play pranks on everyone. And he was good at talking people into falling for them. He was also my idol, so as a little girl I believed everything he told me. One of the practical jokes he played on me was to tell me if I took a saltshaker outside and sprinkled salt on the tale of a bird or on a butterfly, that I would be able to catch them. I could not tell you how many hours I spent in our backyard chasing birds and butterflies, desperately trying to dredge the poor little creatures in salt. Obviously, I never caught either of them, but I’m sure my father had a good laugh watching me out the window.
Birds begin as baby birds and grow into big birds, much like humans begin as little humans and grow into big humans. It’s a simple process. However, for butterflies the cycle of life is different and a bit peculiar. Butterflies begin life as a creepy little wormy creature with approximately 16 legs. At that stage in their life, they are called caterpillars. But then one day they ascend a tree, hang themselves upside down, and begin to form around their body a hard protective shell called a chrysalis. Once in that shell the little creature will die. Now you would think that would be the end of the story for the wormy little woolly bear, but just the opposite is true. It is the beginning of their beautiful story; for in the worm’s death, it discovers the beginning of its life. The reason is because once the little fellow dies, it starts what is referred to as metamorphosis. The entire metamorphosis process only takes about two weeks, but the transformation is astonishing. When the creature emerges from its’ shell, it no longer resembles anything wormlike. It is now winged and beautiful. No more will it crawl, but it will fly. But one of the most fascinating things about the newly formed butterfly is that once it emerges from its’ death, it takes on the form of the one who gave it life – the female butterfly.
In this world, we crawl through life, not knowing the purpose we were even born. We see things with earthbound eyes, think with earthbound thoughts, and live earthbound lives. But when we allow ourselves to die to self in Christ, we too begin an amazing metamorphosis. When we stop feeding our selfish desires, selfish goals, selfish ways, we too become new creatures. Our earthbound life begins to die, and what emerges in its place is a new life, a new creation, all formed to the image of He who gave us life in the first place. Just like the wormy caterpillar – if we do not experience the process of death, we will not experience new life. I suppose you could call this the gospel of the butterfly.
If we truly want all the best that God has for our life, if we want to fly with wings like butterflies, the first thing we must do is die to self. It’s the only way to discover the beginning of the life God has for us.
Darlene