And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
We often don’t value the process of becoming when we find ourselves in the caterpillar stage of life because we focus on the beauty of the butterfly and not the struggle.
Without the struggle, the caterpillar will never become a butterfly.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.—Maya Angelou
We want a beautiful single life, beautiful marriage, beautiful career, beautiful relationship with Jesus, but we must be willing to struggle in the caterpillar stage. We must be willing to not only trust the process, but learn to value the process it takes to become a butterfly.
You can tell a lot about a person by what they value and the values they will fight for. Truth be told, you can learn even more about yourself.
For most of my adolescence and young adulthood, I fantasized about being a musician—a rock star, in particular…I was in love with the result—the image of me onstage, people cheering, me rocking out, pouring my heart into what I’m playing—but I wasn’t in love with the process. And because of that, I failed at it…I wanted the reward and not the struggle. I wanted the result and not the process. I was in love not with the fight, but only the victory. And life doesn’t work that way.—Mark Manson
Do you value the process of becoming?
Here are 3 lessons learned from a caterpillar about how to value the process of becoming:
Lesson One—A caterpillar will become a butterfly when it grows. For the caterpillar to survive, it must have an appetite to grow.
What do you have an appetite for?
Nibbling or feasting at the table of what the world offers at the expense of your becoming is like eating junk food that is not good for you. While junk food is tasty, we all know that an appetite for the wrong things will stunt our spiritual growth.
We are commanded in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Lesson Two—A caterpillar will face enemies to its becoming. The danger of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly is threatened by predators like birds, beetles, and bees.
As a Christian, we face the daily battle from three predators or enemies to our becoming—the world, the flesh, and the devil.
In John 21:15, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
We become what we love. Who or what are the “these” in your life that you love? Take time to examine your love for Jesus and what threatens your becoming.
Lesson Three—A caterpillar must embrace its inner butterfly to become. God didn’t create you to stay a caterpillar and crawl through life. He created you for more—to fly—to reflect his image and let your beauty attract others to Jesus.
“How does one become a butterfly? You have to want to learn to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” – Unknown
Are you willing to give up being a caterpillar?
The caterpillar doesn't know it will transform into a beautiful butterfly. Like the caterpillar, we don’t know what is in store for our lives.
Prayer: Jesus, help us to value the process of becoming so that we can become who we were meant to be. Though the struggle is difficult and uncomfortable—we know you are preparing us for more. We are not in the struggle alone. You are at work in our becoming and reflecting the glory of the Lord—being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.