Do you ever wonder or worry whether or not you have done all you should to meet a calling or an opportunity in your life? Have you ever questioned whether you were “fulfilling your mission” with God in a particular area?
Maybe it’s because I am four weeks away from sending my last child off to college that the question rumbles around in my head from time to time: “Have I done all I need to do to equip this last kid to fly fully and confidently from the nest?”
Whether you are a parent or not, I suspect you know something about wondering whether you have obeyed well, trusted well, or rested well in Christ’s assignments for your life. The enemy loves to sow seeds of doubt and tempt us to fret, trying to enslave us in worry and self-critique, and to keep us from the freedom of trusting God.
Out of the blue this past week, God gave me a little window into some of my questions about launching this last son. It came in the form of Jackson sharing with me some reflections about what God is showing him. It’s something he wrote up after attending a senior retreat with our church youth group. God nudged me to share it with you today for two reasons:
It is good stuff to think about and
It is a testimony to the faithfulness of God to “accomplish what concerns us.” I wondered if Jackson was ready to launch. And God gave me reassurance.
So, with Jackson’s permission, today I’m sharing some words from the pen of my eighteen year old son:
Be like a butterfly. This is what God has been teaching me. Although butterflies are never mentioned in the Bible, they illustrate biblical truth.
The Greek word metamorphoo, the root of our word metamorphosis, appears in two passages of Scripture. In Romans 12:2, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” In 2 Corinthians 3:18, he says, “We all…are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
In both passages, this transformation describes what happens when we surrender our lives to Jesus. The Christian life is much like the metamorphosis of a butterfly. It begins with the caterpillar, representing life before Christ, limited, incomplete, and longing for something more. When the caterpillar enters its chrysalis, it undergoes a complete transformation that changes every aspect of its life.
In the same way, when we place our faith in Christ, we begin a lifelong process of becoming more like Him. God continually shapes us, breaking down the old self and renewing us into His likeness. One day that work will be complete, the waiting will be over, and we will emerge into the fullness of the glory He has prepared for us.
As I reflected on this idea, a butterfly floated past me. As I watched it, it didn't seem to fear. It wasn't worried about tomorrow, where the next flower would be, or where the wind might take it. It simply flew, not because the world wasn't dangerous, but because it was living exactly as it was created to live, free and trusting.
I found myself wondering, “Why do I fear?” Jesus tells us to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field in Matthew 6. They neither worry nor strive, yet our heavenly Father faithfully provides for them. If He cares so deeply for them, think about how much more He cares for His children. If He provides for a butterfly, think of how much more He will care for your life.
Yet we so often continue living like caterpillars, clinging to what feels familiar because we're afraid to trust. But when a butterfly is transformed, it never tries to become a caterpillar again.
I don't know whether butterflies experience fear the way we do. But I do know they don't spend their days crippled by anxiety. They don't question whether they were made correctly. They don't compare their wings to another butterfly's. They don't try to become caterpillars again because it feels safer. They simply live as they were created. Maybe that's what God has been trying to teach me.
As people who have been transformed by Christ, we aren't called to live in fear, but in freedom. Not clinging to our old lives, but trusting the One who is continuing His work in us. Like the butterfly, we are free to rest in the care of our creator, trusting that the God who transforms us is also the God who faithfully sustains us.
So go, live like a butterfly, live in the freedom that comes in Christ.
After I read Jackson’s words, (and I had mopped all the tears of joy from my face), I asked him about the verses he chose for his reflection. Did he know that those were two of the most shaping and transforming verses God has used in my life? No. He had no idea. He was looking at Greek words related to butterflies.
But God knew. He knew this piece of writing would not only bless me because of what it showed me about Jackson’s heart, but because there would be a God wink in it with those two verses.
God does stuff like that. For all of us.
So, if you are wondering this week if you are “measuring up,” I invite you to put whatever metrics and measuring sticks you might be using aside. I invite you to shift your gaze in loving trust to the Lord who carries us and your heart, and who is at work all around us. Yes, we play our part with every assignment God gives us (like raising two boys), but ultimately God is the one who ensures the outcomes. He is faithful. He is kind. He wants to love on you in your worrisome places. He invites you to come fly in freedom with Him.
May you find more of Him!