A New Creature

”Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Growing up, I often saw the butterfly as a symbol for our new life in Christ. I admired these beautiful creatures brilliantly clothed in color and so delicately fluttering around freely. Such a contrast to their former state.

Last spring as I watched a group of caterpillars feed on the leaves of a plant in our front flowerbed, I realized just how much of a transformation these creatures undergo. In the caterpillar phase, they are limited in their movement, passing from one leaf to another focused solely on consuming as much as they can. They devour plants till there is nothing left but stem. Their colors and patterns line worm like bodies designed to hold on tightly to the leaves they crave.

As I watched the tiny mouths of these eating machines, marveling how quickly they stripped the plants of their leaves I thought about how this reflects the old man in each of us. Before Christ, we are selfish creatures, craving after the things of this world and devouring anything in our way so that we can be satisfied. We hold tightly to the things that we desire and rarely see beyond ourselves. But when we surrender to Christ, all that changes.

God gives us a new nature, and like the butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis, we look nothing like our former self. Our eyes are open and we begin to see God, ourselves and others in a new way. The butterfly no longer desires the former leaves that it ate, it now longs for the sweet nectar of beautiful flowers. It craves something better. In the same way, the things that once satisfied our flesh loose their appeal as our hearts begin to crave the things of God.

The Focal Point: When I see the caterpillar and butterfly I am reminded to focus on the beautiful truth that God has made all things new.