THE BUTTERFLY

2 Peter 1:3, NLT: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life….

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I remember the day just as if it were yesterday.  I was so proud of myself.  I as had seemingly learnt about the joy of finding the right words for the right occasion. Meeting the gaze of my twinkle eyed eight year old, I offered those ‘right’ words to him as he held up a used drink bottle for me to examine. Something about the way he held the bottle up as if some sort of prized possession caused me to hold back on the urge to remind him of our many  discussions about germs and the dangers of handling peoples discarded refuse.  Not wanting to shatter his obvious enthusiasm I took the bottle from him and scrutinized its contents. There at the bottom of the transparent bottle was what appeared to be a clump of dirt that had been mixed with droplets of liquid left in the bottle.  “What is this?” I asked. With pride he beamed “a cocoon.”

I was doubtful that the clump that I was looking at was a cocoon and even if it was I was doubtful that it would survive the conditions my son had exposed it to.  But I kept my peace and said nothing.  In fact against my better judgment I gave in to his many requests to keep ‘the cocoon’, and the dirty bottle became the centerpiece of my breakfast counter. Its contents the focal point of our conversations until I too became engrossed in hopeful anticipation of the expected butterfly.    As the unchanging nature of the cocoon offered no further stimulus for our discussions our enthusiasm diminished and the kids and I found other things to occupy our attention.

That is until a few mornings later when I was beckoned by the motions within our centerpiece.  It was a butterfly. It had emerged.  Despite the conditions it had survived and needed to be released. Eagerly, I woke the boys so they could see the miracle that had unfolded.  Our excitement reverberated throughout the house as we gathered the things needed to free the butterfly from its place of captivity.

While carefully cutting open the bottle I noticed that the wings of the butterfly were crumpled and limp.  Come on! I prayed you have come too far not to make it.

In spite of my prayers the butterfly lay motionless for what seemed an eternity but eventually the sun aided in drying the wings and soon the butterfly took to the air in flight.

As I watched the butterfly fly away I wondered who taught this butterfly to fly?

Prior to emerging as a butterfly it had been a caterpillar.  Hadn’t it? Supposing that the butterfly had somehow retained the memories and experiences of its former caterpillar nature these would not have aided  in this new endeavour of being a butterfly, Quite the contrary, in fact those memories would have been of little benefit.

So again I ask how does a butterfly know how to fly?

The matter so intrigued me that I did a google search on the topic. That search  indicates that a butterfly emerges from its cocoon with a strong muscle in their thorax which forces their wings up and down.  God gave the butterfly everything that it would need for Life built in to it ……………Just like He did with the butterfly so He has also done for us. God has also given us Christians everything we would need for our life’s purpose built in to us and therefore I believe that the Christian too emerges from their cocoon (past life) with a strong muscle that can move that Christian to do what they are called to do.

The HOLY SPIRIT is the Christian’s strong muscle.  The only difference is that He will not force us to do anything.  However, if we allow Him to operate in us and through us He will enable us to do the things we would not otherwise be capable of doing.

So much for our excuses….I was never taught, I don’t know how, it seems too hard. Those won’t work anymore.

You have come too far not to make it.  There is a strong muscle within you. So just Fly.