The Butterfly Effect

• -2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature:old things are past away;behold all things are become new.
• As I look at a Butterfly I can't help but compare it to the change that our lives go through when we are saved. 
•  Monarch Butterflies are my favorite so it is the butterfly that I will be using as my example.

 

     1. The Monarch butterfly lays their Eggs on a single milk weed leaf. From egg to Larva it takes            about 3 to 12 days.  From egg to adult butterfly takes about 30 days.  Like us they start as just a speck, but a speck that has lots of potential.

     2. When the eggs hatch a Caterpillar emerges.  The caterpillar immediately starts eating the milk weed that has hosted their egg.  We are born and then start acting must like the caterpillar.  As he feeds off of his world, literally destroying his host plant by eating every leaf and most of the stem.  in feeding off his surrounding world he leaves only destruction in his wake.  We are pretty much the same, when we are born and as we grow up we feed off the world and all its sinful opportunities and leaves lots of destruction in our wake.  And as the caterpillar, we to must realize we need a change in our lives.  We like the caterpillar have a longing deep within us a longing for change.  And with that realization we must take action, we must answer that call to change.  If we or the caterpillar ignore the call we will die without ever reaching our potential.

     3.  Cocoon (Chrysalis) The caterpillar must take action and stop what he has been doing and start to change.  He has to turn from the life he knows and how he has been living and start over in a new way.  And to do this the caterpillar has to die to self and begin again.  It encases itself in a cocoon, a place of change where one life ends and another begins.  It is a place of change and growth.  It is the home of new beginnings.  Just as we must stop our sinful, destructive life.  Dying out to self so that we can be reborn in Christ.  It is a time of transition, a time for and ending as well as a time for a new beginning.  There will be a complete change in us as well, one life ends so another can begin.  And I can assure you that the result of change for both the caterpillar and us will be an amazingly beautiful.

     4.  Butterfly A caterpillar stays in the cocoon between 10 days and 2 weeks.  In that time there is a lot of growing and changing taking place before it can emerge as a beautiful butterfly.  It takes time for it to reach its full potential.  Just as when we stop the destructive path we are on and die out to self and get saved it takes time to grow and change into our full potential in the Lord.  Just as the caterpillar emerges from the cocoon a beautiful butterfly, so we as a new creature in Christ also emerge from the darkness and sin that we were in to be changed and emerge as a beautiful Child of God.  We must die to self so that we can start a new life in Him.  We must as the caterpillar answer the call to change.

   

       The Butterfly has a life span of about a month, seems like a very short time, but living each of those days at its full potential it can accomplish a lot such as Breeding, Pollination, Laying Eggs, and Blessing us with its beauty.  Yes, this short life can make a big impact on all it touches.  Just as we Christians have but just a few short years to work and change those lives around us.  Like the butterfly if we keep working at our full potential everyday we to will make a big impact on the world we live in.

We need to live ever mindful of the Butterfly Effect and how we to can make a difference.
                                                                                                                        -SG

 

Beach Ballerina

     She let out a high-pitched giggle as she ran across the soft warm sand.  Her arms out stretched, her small round face full of anticipation.  She is wearing a sky-blue swimsuit that matches the color of her eyes.  Her curly brown hair was dancing in the ocean breeze.

         She ran into the cool blue water, screaming with glee at reaching her destination.  As the water splashed against her legs with each new incoming wave, she takes in her surroundings.  Like a dancer surveying her stage, she smiled with great pleasure, as she began her dance.  Turning and jumping as each tiny wave caressed her small brown legs.  She was lost in pleasure and awe of the great ocean that was lending itself as her grand stage.

         The white/gray gulls gliding over her head seemed to be acting as her audience, calling out for her to continue this great performance for their pleasure.  The lapping of the tides as they come together seem to be her orchestra playing her favorite music piece.  The big white clouds made for a very dramatic backdrop for her stage.  The sun danced off each droplet of water that hung at the ends of her brown curls, as if hundreds of tiny fairies crowned her head in celebration of the dance.  As each wave of water lapping around her legs sent her jumping and twirling, the golden rays of sun seemed to spotlight the star dancer in this beach ballet.

         After several minutes, the beautiful dance comes to an end. The young dancer pauses, panting from exhaustion.  Stepping back from the water, she stands staring into the cool blue waves that have participated in her dance.  With a sweet smile on her small round face, that gave a look of gratitude that said “Thank you for the dance!”

         As she stood there water dripping from her onto the sand, she dug her small toes into the soft sand as if to mark the next date and time that she would take this very stage.  With a nod of her head, she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

The Refuge

The Refuge

     On a cold winter’s evening, the sun sets and leaves the house in thick darkness.  It is enough to make my young mind uneasy.  It is nights like these that I am glad that I have a place of refuge, in the kitchen in front of the warm morning stove on my Grandfather’s lap as he sits in his rocking chair.  I have found this to be my place of refuge for the uncertain nights in my life. 

         I feel safe snuggled up on my Grandfather’s lap.  His strong arms around me make me feel so safe.  The smell of his aftershave gives off the sweet smell of summer’s days, gone by.  Here with him makes the dark winter seem so much farther away.

         The rocking chair we sit in is made strong and simple giving it the feel of home.  The swishing sound it makes as we rock gives off such a gentle soothing rhythm.  It seems to erase my worry, as I concentrate on the back and forth motion my mind is put at ease.  It gives me such a care free feeling like being on a carousel.  It is my own private ride that carries me to a very safe and comforting place.

         I start to feel the warmth from the stove on my cheeks.  It’s as if it is kissing away all my worries and cares.  I start to focus on the yellow/orange flames as they dance within the stove.  They bring brilliant light and warmth with their every movement.  It’s as if it is a special dance just for me.  I can’t help but smile after looking upon such a beautiful dance, oh no their dance has not been in vain. 

         This night like the many before and the many after will take my worried mind to a more beautiful and worry free place that will see my through yet another time of darkness in my life.  Spending these worrisome winter evenings in my favorite place of refuge makes the darkness not seem so thick and scary.  It not only gets me through many though times, but it leaves behind some wonderful memories for me to carry through out the rest of the winters in my life.  I guess this refuge will always be my refuge even if only in my memory.