There are stages and periods of painful, confining growth in everyone’s life. Stages of being wrapped up in cocoons of hardships that cover us with doubts and fears. Stages that seem to come out of nowhere and we wonder, can I grow from this?
There are four life stages of a butterfly; the egg, the larva, the pupa and finally the butterfly. Each stage of change in their life cycle is quite different but each has a purpose.
Butterflies are unique amongst insects because they experience something called a complete metamorphosis whereas other insects have incomplete metamorphosis.
It takes about a year for a typical life cycle to be completed. Some butterflies can live up to 10 months but some only one to four weeks.
A larva or caterpillar (My youngest still struggles to say this) can be a very comic stage as most caterpillars look ugly, spiked, furry, clumpy, and gooey, but some are kind of cute I suppose.
This stage leads to the chrysalis which is the transforming from the caterpillar to the butterfly and is known as the resting stage. From this metamorphic stage a beautiful transformation occurs resulting in a brilliantly colored butterfly. What was once a silly, belly crawling insect, is now a brilliant flying insect and gorgeous display of color and wonder.
Isn’t that like the trials of life? If left alone, we’d be a silly, belly crawling insect that has little purpose, but God has much more. It’s His chrysalis of rest that he gives, cocooning us in his grace while undergoing a spiritual metamorphosis, or transformation to be exactly what He intended for us after all. But it hurts because the metamorphosis is a resting, confining stage that hems us in and we seem to lose freedoms. Although while we rest in Him, He is using that confinement to take our silly, belly crawling selves and mold us, heal us, and shape us into a Christlikeness that will shine more radiant and more beautiful for His glory.
Our colorful display of virtues and graces gotten through our metamorphosis are bright and new because he loves us far too deeply to leave us to ourselves. As we are molded and changed into beautiful butterflies, letting go of who we once were and submitting to God’s plan for this stage in life, we become something that can instead go beyond what we perceive as lost. Now, we can fly and soar because we are what God saw in us all along. He saw the silly, belly us crawling along and He wrapped a silken cross of grace around our souls, that transformed our lives into His glorious masterpiece.
Much love,
Viv π¦
Reblogged this on Shattered (Broken) Dreams Can be Resurrected and commented:
Thanks for the follow, Vivian. The reason I write is to share.
* (Though my family and close friends say it would be far more entertaining with a video-camera # in “real life”, rather than in cyberspace!)
# By the way, do they still make them in todayβs ever-faster changing world..or is it all done with mobile phones?
(get with the times now,βludditeβ* c β it should be a smart phone)
* or so I was often called by my βmy techno-geekβ friend, Bill (βthe gonkβ)
βtotal non-technoβ c (who doesnβt possess a mobile phone, after a rather eventfulβ experience some years back, whilst trying to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time)
Who says men canβt multi-task!
Kind regards
“early bird” (my best time …by far) craig
βYou will do foolish thingsβ¦but do them with enthusiasm.β
β Colette
PPS
Best wishes from the First City to see the light
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I’m glad to follow and be a part of your journey. Hahaha, on the mobile phone! I’m actually a bit of a techno girl but I understand the walking, chewing gum, and talking in the phone thing because I’m a bit clumsy post TBI, so it would be hazardous for me to try too. Blessings!ππ
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a pleasure. My story is so crazy (and unique says “the nurse”), so I just have to laugh at myself with the chaos (except when I write, or just curl up in a heap crying buckets of tears, she says)
Blessings c
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I understand that completely. God bless you!
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So grateful for the transformation that God brings about in our lives! Beautiful analogy! Thank you! β€
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Yes, He is amazingly WONDERFUL!! Thank you so very much.π€
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Love this!!
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π€ thank you!
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I never realized only butterflies have a complete metamorphosis. Wow!
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π¦ Yes, it’s so much fun to study them too.
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Oh so Beautiful!! And to be honest I love the looks of the caterpillow…I was always consider the strange One of the family. π Personaly I can say I know why!! I am strange…Jesus calls us ((Peculiar)) LOL LOL I just love what you shared here about the butterflies, and about us our change to whom He wants us to be for His purpose. It’s so true. Our Creator Who loves Us So Much. I’m Thankful and Grateful That He Created Me. ((Hugs))
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Thank you Betty! When I was small I loved to collect caterpillars. Here where I live though they are really ugly and spiky but the ones in PA where cute. I once had a pet caterpillar for a day but he escaped and I was devestated!π I love you Betty!!
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Thank you for sharing Sister Vivian. I truly can understand being devestated after catching the caterpillar for a pet. I do believe God had other plans for it. π ((Hugs))
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Aww, thanks. Yes, He did! Hugs!π
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This is so beautiful and you described and related it to Gods work in us so wonderfully. Love this π
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Thank you so much for reading this! I wrote it last year and enjoyed re-reading it myself. Bless you! π
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This is so beautiful!!!! We can all relate to this in our journey to becoming….ππ β€οΈthis!!!
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Thanks precious Renee!! God bless you always my friend and much love!! ππ€ππ€
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You are always welcome! π€π€π€
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π€π€π€
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Beautiful post! Love this!!
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Good to hear from you dear Mandy! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! God bless you always!π€ππ¦
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such beautifully written words Vivian. π
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Dearest Wendi, I thank you! I’m praying for you sweet friend. π¦π
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God bless you Vivian………you are such a great person! sending prayers up for you too!
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Sweetheart, I know you suffer from chronic illness and it’s so hard because of what chronic means. May God’s grace and love surround you and hold you always as you persevere. Much love! πβ€
Thank you for praying! I just had cranial work today and will need to recover as my brains settle from being rearranged. π€£πβ€
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thank you so much for the reassurance………I have to admit there are some days that God feels very far away.
I will continue to pray for you Vivian and for your healing in Jesus’ name, Amen, and Amen!
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Oh, I understand that too. Yes, we will lift eachother up in Jesus’ name with hope that this too shall pass. Big hugs! π€π
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π thank you oh, so very much.
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π€πππ€ππ
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Vivian, you are written a great read. The title is perfect, and the parallels between the life cycle of the butterfly with our faith walk is so rich in meaning.
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I appreciate it Richard. I wrote it a year ago when I was a new blogger and wanted to share it again for my more recent blogging family. God bless you!π¦
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Thank you for sharing some of your past writing.
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You’re very welcome.π¦ I am presently unwell, so not feeling like I’ve got that kind of writing in me but God is faithful and good, so I continue to look unto Him. π
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Beautiful analogy. π
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Thank you dear Tina!! ππ€
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Butterflies are beautiful and interesting creatures! I visited a botanical garden that had a habitat for exotic butterflies from around the world. They also had a display showing their stages of life.
This is a nice analogy to our becoming more like Christ. π¦
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They sure are! My youngest and I study butterflies, write down facts, and draw pictures of them and journal what we learn. We enjoy it!
Thanks so much Dawn! π¦π€π
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Beautifully written, Viv! Beautiful!
You probably know this, but just in case you don’t I will share. The Greek word translated “transformed” in 2 Corinthians 3:18 is “metamorphoo” from which we get the word metamorphosis.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Do you think the Lord created butterflies just so we would understand? Blessings, Dear Friend!
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Thank you! I didn’t know that at all but I’m so glad you shared it with me! My pastor is always referring to the Greek when he expounds his sermons and I believe it deepens our understanding of the Bible even more and opens our eyes to fully take in what God speaks to us. Yes, God is so wise in creating such a beautify formed insect that we can learn from. I appreciate you sharing the Greek with me! Such a treasure!π¦ππ€
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Thank you so much for the reblog!! God bless you!!π€
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