”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2Cor 5:17
One year my daughter received a butterfly garden for her birthday. You send away for caterpillars and when they arrive, you watch them grow, pupate and finally turn into butterflies.
I of course was already aware of the general process by which caterpillars become butterflies, yet I found myself fascinated by the pupal stage. When it is time, the caterpillars migrate to the top of the jar and hang from their behind in a “J” formation. What appears to happen after this is that the pupa structure formed internally expands out, causing the “skin” of the caterpillar to peel off. I was not prepared for how quickly a caterpillar hanging upside down could become something completely different on the surface because the pupal process had begun on the inside where I could not see it.
Through my own conversion my life is not much different than the caterpillar. When I accepted Christ as my Savior, a process began inside of me that transformed me into something new. My “pupa” may not have broken to the surface quite as quickly as the caterpillar, but the transformation inside had begun and eventually my external “appearance” changed also.
Through the process of sanctification I remain in my “pupal stage”. It will be a long time before I emerge. But when I do, I will have become something much more beautiful than a butterfly. I will have an “appearance” like Christ.
I love that through his glorious creation God can give us examples of his transforming power in our lives. By watching a caterpillar become a pupa I can remember how a change was begun in me. And whenever I see a butterfly I will be reminded of the beauty of Christ which I can look forward to and a greater freedom than flying. A freedom He has given me.
