This week during Bible, my class has been learning about how Jesus transformed the lives of the men He called to follow Him, and He promised He would make into fishers of men. Today we read this story about the transformation of the caterpillar to a butterfly.
STORY: I'm just an ugly old worm. No wants me, only the birds and lizards. I'm so fat. I'm so yucky brown. I'm so useless. I've spent my whole just eating. Every day, I eat more and more green leaves, sometimes leaving the whole branch of the tree completely bare. No wonder farmers hate me. I could just crawl under a rock and die, but right now I'm very sleepy. So sleepy...(yawn). I think I will just spin a nice, warm blanket cocoon around myself and get some z's.
What a sleep! Hey, this cocoon is mighty tight. What happened while I was asleep? I need to stretch and get out of here. My goodness, I'm not the same worm. Look! I have feet and legs. And, oh my goodness, can it be? I have wings. Not just any wings! But, big beautiful wings with the colors of the rainbow! And I can fly! I mean really fly, up and down, from flower to flower, darting quickly or fluttering lazily a summer breeze.
Is this unbelievable? I'm really part of God's plan. I'm a living object lesson on how something that seems so ugly and worthless can change from the inside out into a creature that is beautiful. Hey, boys and girls! Don't give up hope! God is not finished with you yet. He has a marvelous plan to change you to become more like Him. Now I need to run, or I should say fly. The farmer needs me to help his plants grow. Don't forget to wave the next time you see. (From the Third Grade Teacher Edition of ACSI's Bible curriculum)
GOD spoke even to me in this. Yes, something you know to be true and an object lesson you have heard, but to hear it when you feel like that ugly, worthless worm. To be reminded to not give up hope knowing that GOD is not done with us. I know that growth takes place inwardly and that it can often be slow and unnoticeable, but at other times be very painful. Growing is also a process that involves a life-long walk with the RISEN CHRIST.
"Living the Message" from yesterday and for today were titled 'Growth and Growing' and 'Growth is NOT Painless'
Yes, GOD keeps speaking and confirming the place HE has me, but at this moment if growing is going to be this painful then I don't want to grow any more. But only in this moment.........I know that only something beautiful can come from all of it. Well at least I use to Hope that it would. It doesn't feel like it right now. What if I actually don't make it out of this cocoon?
1 comment:
I loved the song Bullfrogs and Butterflies when I was growing up. I think that my brother and I played that album (yes, it was an album! boy does that date me! at least we didn't have it on 8 track!) until we wore it out! You have been a butterfly for a very long time. Don't let satan convince you EVER that you are still a caterpillar!!!
Post a Comment