Category: spiritual growth

Lessons from the Butterfly

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)
 
 
 
” . . . I noticed a chrysalis collection in a case on the wall. Though all different in size and shape, they shared one thing: Each was a tomb of transformation, a womb of waiting where the caterpillar must die, in a sense, in order to be born a butterfly.”
(Lynn Morrissey,  Love Letters to God:
Deeper Intimacy Through Written Prayer)
 
 
 
Last Friday, I tried to capture the glory of the Blue Morpho butterflies swarming around the tropical setting of the Butterfly House. They were just too swift for me to snap a picture of them in flight. I had to be content with experiencing their beauty standing still in the moment. 
 
The beauty of a butterfly is fleeting. Did you know the Blue Morpho butterfly only lives for three weeks after it breaks out of its chrysalis? Some may think this is a gross waste of such beauty, yet God in His wisdom and grace grants us this brief glimpse of His glory.
 
Here’s another fascinating fact about butterflies: The delicate butterfly inherits the honor of laying the eggs to reproduce this species, not the caterpillar. 
 
What a picture of spiritual growth! What would happen if we didn’t progress past the egg, the caterpillar and the chrysalis stages? Our spiritual growth would not only be stunted, it would be aborted. To become the most beautiful reflection of the glorious One, one must die to self.
 
It is imperative to mature into a spiritual butterfly, or we will not multiply. We will not see others birthed into the kingdom of God.

 

Posted on by kelrohlf 10

Taking it to a New Level

 
We’re depending on God;
    He’s everything we need.
What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
since we’ve taken for our own His holy name.
Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
that’s what we’re depending on.
(Psalm 33:20-22 The Message)
 
 
This week, I started out with a prayer asking God to “Save me from haste and confusion…”
 
After that prayer, confusion kept coming across my path. Both the actual word, and at times a sense of confusion about life. So, I looked up the word in the dictionary to ease my distress. The word “confuse” means “to bewilder, to mix up or identify wrongly or to make muddled or unclear.”
 
Confusion comes to my heart when I do not understand God’s will or direction, and especially when circumstances don’t make sense. 
 
I have been asking hard questions this week:
 
Why do two of my friends have to face the fear and uncertainty of health issues?
 
Why does another friend struggle with a sense of condemnation, when she is making a huge difference in the lives of many?
 
Why do I still sit around wondering what I should be doing with my life, when I have a recent degree in English, a self-published book and people who want me to share my writing, speaking and creative gifts with them, as well as plenty of time?
 
On Tuesday, I met with a group of spiritual leaders, where we were discussing spiritual growth and the catalysts that lead to a deeper relationship with Christ. Between my questions and the good dialogue at that meeting, I discovered something.
 
God wants to take us to a new level. He inviting us to bring our confusion, our fears, our doubts, our crises, our agendas, our gifts, our strengths, our weaknesses to . . .
 
a new level of dependence.
 
Dependence on Him. Dependence on His love and grace and strength.
 
Dependence. Will we accept His invitation?
 
 
 
 
Posted on by kelrohlf 3