Butterfly Mode

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

In grade school we all learned about the metamorphosis of a butterfly. I am sure that some of us took school trips to butterfly gardens to actually experience the beauty of the butterfly’s transition. At the time the wonder of a butterfly’s metamorphosis was how cool the insect looked after emerging from its cocoon. An ugly caterpillar with fury multicolored skin actually turned into something gorgeous and majestic. I remember as a kid wanting to kill caterpillars because of how gross and itchy they looked. When I saw one it took every little bone in my body not to squish it. Caterpillars were icky worms that had to be destroyed. Of course they were too nasty for me to step on so I would usually require the aid of my big brother or someone who didn’t mind messing up their shoes. As a child I could not appreciate them, but as an adult I totally see that the beauty is not in the bug or the butterfly but in its transition.

So the butterfly has four stages in its life cycle. It starts off as an egg. Then it becomes a caterpillar or larva and its only purpose is to eat as much as it can in order to prepare itself for its next stage in life. The caterpillar will also shed its skin several times as it grows. The next stage is the pupa stage where the transition to a butterfly takes place. Now this stage can take anywhere from a few weeks to two years. Then the final stage is when it becomes a butterfly and a butterfly’s purpose is to find a mate and lay eggs. One of the most interesting facts is that an adult butterfly only lives two weeks or maybe a month. That means that most of the butterfly’s life is spent maturing from an egg, to a caterpillar, and in the cocoon.  

As human beings we are constantly transitioning. Our transition may not be as obvious as the butterfly but we are maturing. How many of us have been that awkward kid. Like the caterpillar you were unappreciated because you looked a certain way, came from a certain class, or just were plain different. The beauty about this stage is that you may be different, but your job is to walk this earth absorbing as much knowledge to prepare you for your adult years. You will not always be a larva, so appreciate the time when you have zero responsibility but to learn and appreciate what life is teaching you. Also like the caterpillar, shed your skin. As you mature get rid of the negative or the things that don’t work in your life. Allow yourself to enter your next stage in life with as little baggage as possible.

 I see the transition phase as the time that you spend breaking down and understanding everything life has taught you. It’s the time you can actually take a trip for two months somewhere just to reflect or you can spend time meditating at home every morning for two months. It can also be a 40 day fast. The transition time is critical because it is the time that you make real decisions to except or reject certain behaviors, ideas, and lifestyles you experienced as a youth aka caterpillar. Your transition can happen at any stage in life whether you are twenty-five or sixty. I think some people never take the time to transition and as a result their full potential is never achieved. When you are in butterfly mode you are celebrating your wisdom. People will revel in your beauty and no one can take that from you. You are not your past, but you are your present. When you leave the cocoon you are born again.

Another cool fact about the butterfly is that their diet is different from when they were a larva. Caterpillars eat plants, but butterflies drink nectar. What you indulged in as a youth should be different as an adult. Release the fatty foods and eat healthier. Also gain a stronger relationship with God and feed your spirit healthy things. Be mindful to what you watch on TV, read, and listen to on the radio. Seek virtue and gain wisdom.

Embrace the idea of metamorphosis and start your journey into butterfly mode.  

~ Chi  - I am what I am...Love!