I saw this quote as I was driving around one day last week on a sign for a healthcare clinic. As many of you know, November 2 was Daylight Savings Time and no one likes time change. All it does is mess up your whole routine! Now that it is getting darker earlier and you're not tired at 10pm because it still feels like 9pm.
But, like this quote, change needs to happen in order to make beautiful things come to life. We all know that a butterfly needs this change because once a upon time, it was a slithering caterpillar, inching its way to and from places. But with this incredible change that happens, it doesn't need to crawl everywhere, it can simple fly! It is free to fly from flower to flower, spreading its beautiful wings, declaring the majestic diversity of God!
As I started to think, my mind wandered back to hearing authors talk about writing books. In every book that you'll ever read, there is a character who is the main focus during the book or series. This character is faced with challenges, struggles, up and downs, and adversities. These struggles later will define who this character is. And usually, changes the character into being more of a hero, or being brave and strong when the time comes. This character is able to walk boldly onto the battlefield or into the heart of a crisis because their struggle had made them strong.
Now imagine you're a character in a book. You are faced with life, decisions, struggles, a job, and any other adversity that comes your way. These struggles will later define who you are; it will depict what action you will take when a challenge comes into your life. You will be changed by this struggle, whether for the good or for the bad.
God is the author of our lives. He has set a path for each and every one of us. His plan is to change us, conform us into His Son, Jesus. He has set out a course for me and there will be struggles, challenges, and adversities to overcome. THAT is His plan and He wants me to be changed by it.
This change is probably not going to be without some pain or cost to me. I will have to make a choice to give up something in my life so I can become more like Christ. I might have to make some TOUGH choices in order to put on Christ. God wants this change to bring us closer to Him, so we will have a better relationship of His Word, His Promises, and Himself.
God is working in my life and sometimes it is very painful; but I know that God has His promises waiting for me on the other side. Like the caterpillar, it struggles to travel and then it goes through metamorphosis, a process which doesn't seem that easy. It's not only time consuming, but hard work to warp itself into a cocoon. But afterwards, it is formed into a beautiful creature that can fly from one place to another; it is free!
We all undergo some type of metamorphosis several times in our lives; it will either produce a beautiful butterfly that was created to be free from the burden of inching its way to and fro, or it will produce nothing because the change did not happen, and it continues crawling its way through life.
Change is beautiful, but it does cost. Like the character in your favorite book, after the struggle and the pain that he/she went through, he/she can face the new challenge with hope, knowing that he/she went through it before, and can make it now. The character has been changed - they started off as one person, but by the end of the book, they are totally different.
God wants us to begin our lives as one person, but end it with a totally different outcome - like a butterfly. The challenges that are in our lives today, He wants to make us a different person by tomorrow. Without change, we cannot move forward; without change, we cannot learn; and without change, we cannot hope.
Whatever is the challenge that is in your road today, you have a choice to cocoon yourself in God's Word and be changed into an image much like Christ, a growing Christian who is understanding Christ in a more deeper, passionate way than ever before. Or you could continue to be the caterpillar, crawling, inching its way through life, refusing to change, and not accepting the blessing that awaits you.
The choice is yours, my friend. No one said it will be easy, but God tells us in Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” If you believe that, you will be flying free much like the butterfly does, soaking in God's freedom, love, grace, and mercy that He has been dying to bless you with!
Take the step of faith, face your challenge, rely on God, and experience the blessing of being truly free!
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