Butterflies and Faith, Part 1

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

So, if you follow me on Instagram (@RevSHW) or Facebook you will probably have some inkling that I like butterflies. Maybe it’s because I have posted 46 pictures of butterflies and moths in the past four months. Though no one says it directly to me, I’m pretty sure that some of y’all wish I would move on from butterflies to something else.

But I can’t. 

Because I am fascinated with butterflies (and moths, as long as they are outside the house and not eating my clothes).

Butterflies are beautiful.

And butterflies reflect some wonderful things about my faith. On this post, I will share one of the chief truths of which butterflies constantly remind me: New life.

Butterflies (and moths, too) don’t begin as butterflies. They begin as eggs, which hatch as caterpillars, which form chrysalises; and the creature that emerges from the chrysalis is a beautiful butterfly. 

I mean, how awesome is it that God takes something that looks like this: 

Black Swallowtail caterpillars. Younger ones on the right; mature on the left.

...and transforms it into something like this:

Just a beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly

#amiright?!

Now, some consider the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly as a metaphor for the resurrection. And I understand why they do that, because it’s as if something has risen from the dead.

Only, butterflies don’t rise from the dead. They emerge as a new creation. The DNA of a caterpillar and the DNA of the emergent butterfly are identical. But one would never say that a caterpillar and a butterfly are identical.

And that’s why, for me, the transformation of a butterfly from a caterpillar is more like the new life we experience in Christ. The apostle Paul says, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old has gone, and the new has come!” 

Here’s the way I look at it: I was Steve Wilkins (or Stephen, according to my family) before I embrace Jesus in all his grace and mercy; and I am Steve Wilkins (or Stephen, according to my family) ever since I embraced Jesus in all his grace and mercy. My DNA hasn’t changed. But I have changed, because one cannot dwell with Jesus and not be changed, transformed.

The truth is, Jesus does an amazing work in our hearts. He fills us with hope. He assures us of his unconditional love. He cleanses us of our sin. He is the source of joy in our lives. He points us to the two great commands: to love God with our whole being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

A heart indwelt by Jesus is a beautiful thing, indeed.

The next time you see a butterfly, take time to appreciate its beauty, and then let this sink in: “Wow, what God has done with that butterfly, is really like what God has done with me through Christ.”

Indeed, whoever is in Christ is a new creation.