I don’t like to admit this, but when I was a little girl, I used to run over caterpillars that crawled into the carport with my tricycle. I thought they were nasty worms.
Then my mom told me those worms were special in that they were caterpillars that turned into butterflies. So, every time I killed one, I was actually killing a butterfly.
At first, I was horrified because I loved chasing butterflies. They were so beautiful and graceful as they flittered through the air. But, being the geek that I was (and still am) I wanted to know how the magical transformation happened.
My mom couldn’t explain exactly how it happened. All she knew was that the caterpillar would spin a cocoon around itself when it was time for it to turn into a butterfly. Since nobody could see inside the cocoon, nobody knew exactly how it happened.
Of course that fascinated me even more. I decided if I couldn’t see inside the cocoon, I would do the next best thing. So I picked up a caterpillar and placed it into a bowl, which mom placed in the kitchen window. We gave it fresh leaves, blades of grass, and water every day.
Finally, one morning we saw a cocoon inside the bowl. I was so excited that the caterpillar’s transformation had begun. I couldn’t wait to watch it emerge and spread out its colorful wings.
Immediately my mom covered the top of the bowl with tin foil so nothing could disturb it. For the next few weeks, I would peek under the tin foil in the morning after I got up and again once I got in from school. No butterfly. I wondered why it was taking so long. Then one day she told me that it had died. That meant there would be no butterfly. Needless to say, I was so disappointed. I was looking forward to releasing it outside and watching it flitter from flower to flower.
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
Did you know that the caterpillar actually breaks itself down into a goo while it’s inside the cocoon? How God puts that goo together to become a butterfly is truly miraculous. That being said, I think it’s just as miraculous how a sinner can become a new creation in Christ. The old sinful nature is completely gone and is replaced by a new one. Only Jesus has that power. I hope you have experienced that transformation.
I never tried to watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly again. I was afraid it may die too. Instead, I enjoyed chasing the butterflies that had made it through the change. But I have to wonder what they thought. Maybe it was something like: “Here comes that little girl again. I wish she’d hurry and transform into an adult. I’m tired of her chasing me.”
By the way, as an adult, I still chase them.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.