I have a precious friend that lovingly speaks truth into my life as well as the lives of countless others. God provided to her the following insight and she graciously is allowing me to share it with you.

As butterflies flutter by, they often capture the attention of children. Have you ever considered teaching your child that, in many ways, they were created to be like a butterfly?   

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us: Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold new things have come.

While it’s not uncommon for Christ followers to be compared to butterflies because of the changes that take place upon conversion, we miss so much by stopping our comparison there.  In order to really appreciate all Jesus did for us when He died and rose, it’s most beneficial to start teaching children at the beginning of the story: The Caterpillar & The Human Being.  If we look at God’s purpose in the creation of the caterpillar and of man, we can find many similarities:

  • The caterpillar was created to be a butterfly, just as we were each created in God’s image to have a relationship with Him. 
  • Neither one can achieve the purpose for which they were created in the state in which they were born. 
  • The caterpillar’s body blocks him from flying free, just as original sin blocks each of us from a relationship with holy God.
  •  While a caterpillar must be changed through metamorphosis to achieve its purpose, so a person must be changed by being born again by the Holy Spirit to achieve their purpose.
  • The caterpillar achieves its purpose when it flies free as a butterfly, and each person achieves their purpose for existing when they receive Jesus as Savior & Lord and live in freedom, no longer enslaved by sin and death.

With many believers the similarities cease just before “living in freedom”.  While you’ve seen butterflies freely flying from flower to flower, enjoying the achievement of their life purpose, are you personally enjoying life in the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8:1-2, Ephesians 1:3)

Perhaps many believers never fully experience the “abundant life” because they don’t realize all they have in Christ. Maybe they’re satisfied with being secure in the next life without ever discovering the freedom He provides in the here and now. (Galatians 5:1)

As a parent, you have the amazing privilege of teaching your children that they can experience the abundant freedom only a life in Jesus can provide. The best way for a parent to train their children to walk in freedom, is to consistently demonstrate it in their own life.

It’s safe to say that we don’t see butterflies returning to life as caterpillars, inching along on a leaf or the dusty ground at a snail’s pace. Neither should we crawl through life mired in the pain of guilt, worry, and fear. Isn’t it time we embraced all that we’re promised in God’s Word and… “Fly Free”?!