The Caterpillar Transformation
Is there a time in your life that ever seemed unpredictable? You have done all you can do on your own, but life still seems unclear. The path that lies ahead of you is blurred, and there’s nothing you can do about it. From this point, all that you can do is trust in God. Our natural strength can only bring us so far. Though, what if we placed our natural strength in the supernatural strength of God? God often places us in a position to trust in Him. This position of trust in God will transform us. This process I will call “The Caterpillar’s Transformation.” Similar to the caterpillar, the first level of trust in God is based solely on physical surroundings. The entire caterpillar must rely purely on his capabilities and the “branches” or surroundings it walks upon. It uses its many legs to navigate place to place. Without these physical structures, the caterpillar will fall. Just like the caterpillar, we can live our lives in the trust of our surroundings instead of God. This stage of trust is based only on what the human eyes can see. This level hardly trusts God. The next level of trust transforms our thinking from only our surroundings to trust in God with our feelings. When the caterpillar matures, he forms in a sack of darkness. Through this time, the caterpillar can see nothing, but he can feel his wings growing and his protective shield disintegrating. This level of trust grows in the darkness as time unfolds. Sometimes life places us in a position that forces us to rely on our feelings. This level molds us and creates us into a new being. Slowly, your protective shield from the world disintegrates. The highest level of trust in God relies solely on God. The caterpillar is now transformed into a butterfly. Butterflies fly only by the air beneath them and the “flapping of their wings.” The butterfly trusts solely in what it cannot see. Similar to the air, God pushes against our “wings” even when we cannot see. Like the air and wind, God guides us in the direction and paths he desires for us to take. As you know, butterflies cannot fly without wings; yet with the “flapping of their wings” and along with the wind, the butterfly flies! The butterfly cannot fly without flapping it’s wing. God works WITH us. This level of trust does not rely on sight or emotions. Real trust in God does not rely only in what the eyes can see. The truest trust in God, “flaps its wings” or “works” and knows that God is the “air” lifting it up! Where is your trust in God? Or the real question is…. Do you trust God to be the WIND BENEATH YOUR WINGS? ~ Loni Bess L. Calloway