Issue 1476 – Butterflies and Moths – June 18, 2024
I saw a pretty butterfly yesterday —not the one in the photo, but pretty nonetheless. The one in the photo is a Fire-rim Tortoise Shell (or Milbert’s) butterfly, which is found all over North America.
I know very little about entomology (the study of insects), but I do know that butterflies and moths are members of the family Lepidoptera. There are a few minor physical differences, but the primary difference seems to be one of classification.
Butterflies are daylight creatures, and most ‘moths are nocturnal. Moths tend to have hairier and stouter bodies than butterflies. Some types of each seem more attractive to my eye than others, but that’s simply a matter of personal preference.
Moths and butterflies are similar in their stages of growth. They start as eggs, become caterpillars, and eventually become adult species. Even if they could think, I doubt that caterpillars would ever imagine themselves as those free-flying creatures they see in the air. A few species of caterpillars are attractive in their own way, but none can compare to the beauty of an adult butterfly.
As Christians, we are a lot like butterflies or moths. We are born with a sinful nature into a sin-filled world. We crawl around in the muck and mire that is life, never truly imagining the magnitude of all that God created us to be and never understanding what it means to be created in His image. Yet, if we listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and open our hearts to Christ, something wonderful occurs.
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, we emerge new creations. It takes a little time to strengthen our wings, but when we do, we soar far above our old nature. We can still land and find ourselves in the muck, but with the Holy Spirit’s help and the love of Jesus, we’re soon back in the air again, soaring free.
Explaining our freedom in Christ to a non-believer is like explaining being a butterfly to a caterpillar. As much as they might want to understand it, they cannot. It is something that must be experienced to be understood.
Even many Christians have not truly grasped the freedom of belonging to Jesus. They have forgiven their sins, but they don’t really get it. They are like butterflies with caterpillar minds. They fly sometimes but spend most of their time on the ground as if they still have their old nature.
Christ designed us to be free in Him. He created us to soar in love, hope, peace, joy, and freedom. He made us to fly high and bring Him glory.
That’s amazing enough. Yet all He does in us this side of glory is simply a foretaste. We cannot comprehend glory any more than a caterpillar can comprehend flying. We’ll have to wait until we get there and experience it. I do know, though, that being free in Christ beats being dead in my sins, hands down, every time. I can hardly wait to see what lies ahead.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1Corinthians 13:12
Enjoy the freedom, my friends, and savour every moment of it. It will get even better.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)