Everyone who knows me well enough knows that I’m obsessed with butterflies. They are over 20,000 varieties that we know of in the world and each and every one is different. Now that’s a lot of butterflies and an awful lot of designing to be done.
Whilst on my run this morning I was joined by some of these amazing creatures…yes they did outrun me of course!! And that got me thinking….if God loves butterflies so much He must love me too. You see, we are all uniquely created…the mould was literally smashed when He made you. Not only are our fingerprints different, but our eye colour and tongue print is also different from anyone else…past and present.
A caterpillar when they are first born, can eat it’s own body weight in leaves every day. They grow by 30,000 times its birthweight!!!! Then they get into a cocoon and literally die to itself. The parts that make a butterfly…the antenna, the eyes, the legs….all aren’t part of a caterpillar. After a time it emerges as this new living thing, each uniquely created. And not only that, but the senses that they have mean that they can find the right flower up to 1 mile away. They can also find the right mate. In short, they don’t make a mistake!! They are build to be perfection both visually and mechanically. Wow!!!!
In the bible, it talks about us dying to ourselves. Romans 12:2 says “Don’t copy the behaviours and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Now I know God won’t turn me into a butterfly, but I believe that if we let Him, we can die to our old ways and become a new being; walking close with Him so that our mistakes are lessened. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of making mistakes!!! They drain me emotionally, physically and spiritually. I would quite happily die to my old self every day…which I am able to..it’s called grace.
Interestingly, the word for pavilion or tent comes from the Latin word papilo meaning butterfly. I might not be a butterfly in the sense that I can never be perfect and mistake free, but I’m so glad that Jesus’ arms cover me like a tent and protect me…a bit like a cocoon protecting the caterpillar as it transforms into a butterfly. You see, Jesus is perfect and He covers me with His amazingly beautiful wings whilst I die to my old self daily waiting to be transformed into something beautiful.