New Life

by Macy Johnson

“There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies;

but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind,

and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.”

(1 Corinthians 15:40 NIV)

 

A fuzzy caterpillar crossed my path one morning. Later in my walk, a butterfly landed on my shoulder. God doubly reminded me of the passage I had read that morning during my devotions. Paul told the new church about the resurrection of the dead in the book of 1 Corinthians. New life springs from death, like a tree grows from a single seed.

 

I was fascinated to discover the journey of caterpillars to butterflies at discoverwildlife.com. Metamorphosis is miraculous. It follows the basic biological urge of the need to eat and grow in safety, then – and only then – to disperse. Eighty percent of all insects are holometabolous. They begin as worm-like larvae and change into large-winged adults. In a caterpillar’s late developmental stage its juvenile hormones decline and trigger the larva to attach itself to a branch and form a chrysalis. Dormant adult cells start to grow, creating an insect with wings.

 

Waking from sleep is often compared to waking to a new life. Every day is a fresh chance to obey and do the right thing, the next best thing. The past is left behind and a new life full of opportunities and promise is ahead. Sleep is vital to the proper development of a human body.

 

Metamorphosis is often compared to life after death. Just like it is a necessary stage in the life of a caterpillar, it is another step in a human’s life. It can also be compared to the transformation by the Holy Spirit when a person becomes a child of God. 

 

I will embrace all the changes the Holy Spirit will take me through. I hope you will, too!