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Top : One of the butterflies
Top : One of the butterflies
Middle: Moving of the crysalides
Bottom: The caterpillars (the orange stuff is their food)
(They are in reverse order, and I can't figure out how to reverse the pictures-sorry!) :)
So far all of our posts have been on letting down our masks, letting people see what's inside, and not hiding from our Christian sisters. Today I was praying and asking God to give me inspiration for my next post, and I heard something scratching over to my left. I turned around to see Abby's butterfly habitat and five beautiful butterflies flying around in there. And I just smiled...I love when God works like that.
Everyone knows how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. If you don't, read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle... ;) That's not the story I want to tell you about though. Here's how this story begins.
Abby had a pet last year named "Caterpilllaree". Caterpillaree, sadly, turned out to be a worm and never turned into a butterfly. So last summer, I promised her this summer she could get some real caterpillars and watch them turn to butterflies. As soon as it got warm enough, we ordered some and they were shipped right to our door. Five fuzzy, tiny, UGLY caterpillars. They came in a little jar with some netting attached to the top. They stayed in the jar for about 10 days and then they were supposed to make their chrysalides and hang from the top of the jar. During the time when they were making their chrysalides and for 24 hours after they made them, we were not supposed to touch them, jiggle them, or otherwise disturb them.
Here's where clumsy mommy comes into the picture. Sunday morning (about 12 hours after the last butterfly made his chrysalis) we were headed to church. We were in a hurry and when I grabbed my purse, I knocked the whole jar off the counter and onto the bookcase. Abby screamed and my heart dropped clear to my stomach. I just knew I had killed Abby's butterflies!
When we got home we saw they were all still attached to the top of the jar, so we carefully moved them to their "butterfly habitat" and waited. The butterflies are supposed to emerge from their chrysalides in 7-10 days. At day 9 I got anxious, at day 10 I got worried, and by day 11, I was in full panic. I had killed Abby's butterflies; I was going to have to tell her five more caterpillars had gone to caterpillar heaven; and I was going to have to buy more caterpillars in an attempt not to scar my child for life!
Yesterday morning, I prayed a simple prayer. "Lord, just let one butterfly emerge so Abby can see it. She's waited so long. Don't punish her for my mistake." I guess God knows exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. We went out for a little while yesterday morning and when we got home, the most amazing thing was happening. One lone butterfly was bursting out of his chrysalis...then another...then another...It was like they were cheering for each other to come out! Praise the Lord for small miracles!!!!
So, what does all this have to do with us, except giving us a feel good story? Well, as I stared at the butterflies I remembered how ugly and yucky looking they were when they were caterpillars-kind of like people stuck in their sin. We try take good care of them (witnessing, praying, etc.) and sometimes we just don't see the fruit of our labor. And then when we don't see that fruit, we start thinking about all the things "we" did wrong. (like me knocking over the jar). We start thinking, "If they don't come to Christ, it will be because I said ___ or because I didn't do ___" We start beating ourselves up and worrying and fretting about them not being born again. Sometimes we may even pray, "Lord, just let ONE make it!" The amazing thing is that it doesn't always happen on day 10, like it's "supposed" to (or like we think it's supposed to). Sometimes it doesn't happen until day 12 or 14 or 20. But, when it does happen, it is the most beautiful thing to see. God has made a butterfly out of a caterpillar and we got to help. And even though we thought we messed up, God still made something beautiful out of our mistake.
Praise the Lord God makes butterflies out of caterpillars, because I was once a caterpillar myself. And praise God that even though we our clumsy, He sometimes lets us help in growing that next butterfly!
P.S.-I hope this makes sense, it really was a true revelation in my head, I just don't know that I got it across correctly...
Everyone knows how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. If you don't, read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle... ;) That's not the story I want to tell you about though. Here's how this story begins.
Abby had a pet last year named "Caterpilllaree". Caterpillaree, sadly, turned out to be a worm and never turned into a butterfly. So last summer, I promised her this summer she could get some real caterpillars and watch them turn to butterflies. As soon as it got warm enough, we ordered some and they were shipped right to our door. Five fuzzy, tiny, UGLY caterpillars. They came in a little jar with some netting attached to the top. They stayed in the jar for about 10 days and then they were supposed to make their chrysalides and hang from the top of the jar. During the time when they were making their chrysalides and for 24 hours after they made them, we were not supposed to touch them, jiggle them, or otherwise disturb them.
Here's where clumsy mommy comes into the picture. Sunday morning (about 12 hours after the last butterfly made his chrysalis) we were headed to church. We were in a hurry and when I grabbed my purse, I knocked the whole jar off the counter and onto the bookcase. Abby screamed and my heart dropped clear to my stomach. I just knew I had killed Abby's butterflies!
When we got home we saw they were all still attached to the top of the jar, so we carefully moved them to their "butterfly habitat" and waited. The butterflies are supposed to emerge from their chrysalides in 7-10 days. At day 9 I got anxious, at day 10 I got worried, and by day 11, I was in full panic. I had killed Abby's butterflies; I was going to have to tell her five more caterpillars had gone to caterpillar heaven; and I was going to have to buy more caterpillars in an attempt not to scar my child for life!
Yesterday morning, I prayed a simple prayer. "Lord, just let one butterfly emerge so Abby can see it. She's waited so long. Don't punish her for my mistake." I guess God knows exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. We went out for a little while yesterday morning and when we got home, the most amazing thing was happening. One lone butterfly was bursting out of his chrysalis...then another...then another...It was like they were cheering for each other to come out! Praise the Lord for small miracles!!!!
So, what does all this have to do with us, except giving us a feel good story? Well, as I stared at the butterflies I remembered how ugly and yucky looking they were when they were caterpillars-kind of like people stuck in their sin. We try take good care of them (witnessing, praying, etc.) and sometimes we just don't see the fruit of our labor. And then when we don't see that fruit, we start thinking about all the things "we" did wrong. (like me knocking over the jar). We start thinking, "If they don't come to Christ, it will be because I said ___ or because I didn't do ___" We start beating ourselves up and worrying and fretting about them not being born again. Sometimes we may even pray, "Lord, just let ONE make it!" The amazing thing is that it doesn't always happen on day 10, like it's "supposed" to (or like we think it's supposed to). Sometimes it doesn't happen until day 12 or 14 or 20. But, when it does happen, it is the most beautiful thing to see. God has made a butterfly out of a caterpillar and we got to help. And even though we thought we messed up, God still made something beautiful out of our mistake.
Praise the Lord God makes butterflies out of caterpillars, because I was once a caterpillar myself. And praise God that even though we our clumsy, He sometimes lets us help in growing that next butterfly!
P.S.-I hope this makes sense, it really was a true revelation in my head, I just don't know that I got it across correctly...
