The other day, while we were out at my in-laws, I found a swallowtail caterpillar on some dill. O loved looking at the caterpillar and talked all the way home about how she wished we could have taken him home with us.
Well, we got home and I found yet another swallowtail caterpillar on the dill we had brought home, so this time, I let her keep it in a jar so we can watch it grow and change into a butterfly.
O loves this caterpillar, and I mean LOVES. We have to carry the room out of her room each morning into which ever room we are occupying at the time and if we move throughout the day, so does caterpillar. He is a constant in our daily discussions- and our daily prayers.
This afternoon, while I having devotions with Olivia, I started to pray when Olivia reminded me to pray for the caterpillar. As I did, I thanked God for the caterpillar and all the lessons we can learn from it.
Caterpillars have always reminded me of the scripture, "Therefore if any man live in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new," (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just recently, I said to Caleb, "Butterflies are so weird. I mean, they start out as these little caterpillars, go in to cocoons, and come out as butterflies. I mean where does the caterpillar *go*? It's not like it even just grew wings. It comes out looking *completely different*." And today, as I prayed and thought about the caterpillar and the things it teaches us, that was the thing that struck me the most. "If any man live in Christ, he is a new creature," (emphasis mine). It's not just Fred with a brand new pair of wings, it's a completely different person. And in becoming that new person, there is a beauty and freedom that also comes from living in Christ. A butterfly is able to leave behind the things that anchored it to the creature it once was, and live a totally new life.
When people look at me, I have to wonder. Do they look at me and see the new creature? Or do they see the caterpillar, continuing to stay where it is safe and comfortable doing those things I have always done?
Well, we got home and I found yet another swallowtail caterpillar on the dill we had brought home, so this time, I let her keep it in a jar so we can watch it grow and change into a butterfly.
O loves this caterpillar, and I mean LOVES. We have to carry the room out of her room each morning into which ever room we are occupying at the time and if we move throughout the day, so does caterpillar. He is a constant in our daily discussions- and our daily prayers.
This afternoon, while I having devotions with Olivia, I started to pray when Olivia reminded me to pray for the caterpillar. As I did, I thanked God for the caterpillar and all the lessons we can learn from it.
Caterpillars have always reminded me of the scripture, "Therefore if any man live in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new," (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just recently, I said to Caleb, "Butterflies are so weird. I mean, they start out as these little caterpillars, go in to cocoons, and come out as butterflies. I mean where does the caterpillar *go*? It's not like it even just grew wings. It comes out looking *completely different*." And today, as I prayed and thought about the caterpillar and the things it teaches us, that was the thing that struck me the most. "If any man live in Christ, he is a new creature," (emphasis mine). It's not just Fred with a brand new pair of wings, it's a completely different person. And in becoming that new person, there is a beauty and freedom that also comes from living in Christ. A butterfly is able to leave behind the things that anchored it to the creature it once was, and live a totally new life.
When people look at me, I have to wonder. Do they look at me and see the new creature? Or do they see the caterpillar, continuing to stay where it is safe and comfortable doing those things I have always done?
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