Tag Archives: butterfly

Transformers

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Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee weren’t the first Transformers.

Before a yellow Volkswagon Beetle morphed into a mighty robot warrior,
transformation was quietly happening all around us.
I have proof.
It happened on my kitchen counter.

Monarch caterpillars hatch and feed on milkweed plants. I don’t know all the science around it, but while milkweed is considered toxic to most insects, these guys gorge themselves on the sticky, gooey stuff this plant oozes.

PB brought home six of the striped crawlers.
We outfitted each one in its own cozy glass house
and fed them milkweed daily.

Free from predators and lawn mowers and thunderstorms, these guys thrived. Life was good. Fresh food magically showed up, piles of worm poop were disposed of, and giants on the other side of the glass seemed to be enthralled.

Then one day, this happened.

Then this happened.

I know.
This is a Kindergarten science project.
You’ve seen it all before.

I’d like to invite you to pause and think about it.
Ponder the beauty.
Meditate on the wonder of metamorphosis.

When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he said,
“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed.”
Romans 12:2

The Greek word Paul chose was “metamorphoo.”

Jesus-followers are supposed to be Transformers.

Our life apart from Christ was like being a wormy thing—
stuck crawling on the ground,
eating toxic goo.

The Spirit of the Lord takes such lowly beings as us
and completely changes our form,
making us new creatures who can rise to new heights.

“If anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation.
The old has gone,
the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17

Be a Bee

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Once upon a time there was a Garden. It was full of beautiful blooms and fragrant flowers. Garden creatures scuttled under the brush and winged flyers skimmed over the petals.

garden

Light and airy after a lifetime of crawling in dirt, the newly transformed butterfly was the most enchanting creature in the Garden. It hovered and glided and danced about with grace. It careened through the spikes of foxglove and wove between the wispy cosmos. Its wings caught the sunshine and made the Garden sparkle. Landing for only a second or two, it continued to flit here and there and everywhere. After two weeks it was gone. It had given a measure of joy and frivolity to the Garden, but had not contributed in any meaningful way.

butterfly

Another heartier breed also buzzed among the foliage. Not as light and airy, not as sparkly or whimsical, the bee was not on holiday in the Garden. The bee was there on a mission. This round-bodied flyer did not have the grace of the butterfly. It did not flit or charm. The bee did no stylish pirouettes. Instead, this one dove straight into the depth of the blossoms, drawing out the nectar, burrowing down into the fragrance. Having done its job, the dive-bomber sped out of the Garden and deposited its bounty into the hive. 

bee

What is the meaning of the story of the butterfly and the bee?

bible

“To get anything from our Bibles, we must plunge in. Butterflies wander over the flowers in the garden and accomplish nothing, but bees plunge right down into the flower, and carry away essential food. We won’t get anything if we just hover over our Bibles; we have to dive right in.” David Guzik, Blue Letter Bible, Acts Commentary 

In other words, be a bee.  

“How sweet are your promises to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:103

The Butterfly and the Bee

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Once upon a time there was a Garden. It was full of beautiful blooms and fragrant flowers. Garden creatures scuttled under the brush and winged flyers skimmed over the petals.

garden

Light and airy after a lifetime of crawling in dirt, the newly transformed butterfly was the most enchanting creature in the Garden. It hovered and glided and danced about with grace. It careened through the spikes of foxglove and wove between the wispy cosmos. Its wings caught the sunshine and made the Garden sparkle. Landing for only a second or two, it continued to flit here and there and everywhere. After two weeks it was gone. It had given a measure of joy and frivolity to the Garden, but had not contributed in any meaningful way.

butterfly

Another heartier breed also buzzed among the foliage. Not as light and airy, not as sparkly or whimsical, the bee was not on holiday in the Garden. The bee was there on a mission. This round-bodied flyer did not have the grace of the butterfly. It did not flit or charm. The bee did no stylish pirouettes. Instead, this one dove straight into the depth of the blossoms, drawing out the nectar, burrowing down into the fragrance. Having done its job, the dive-bomber sped out of the Garden and deposited its bounty into the hive. 

bee

What is the meaning of the story of the butterfly and the bee?

“To get anything from our Bibles, we must plunge in. Butterflies wander over the flowers in the garden and accomplish nothing, but bees plunge right down into the flower, and carry away essential food. We won’t get anything if we just hover over our Bibles; we have to dive right in.” David Guzik, Blue Letter Bible, Acts Commentary   bible

“How sweet are your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103