A beautiful butterfly takes time to develop
into the creation we admire. The little
creature catches our eye when fluttering past.
To begin the process, an egg produces a caterpillar. Synonyms for caterpillar include worm,
maggot, larva, etc. A vision of beauty
does not arise when hearing the word maggot!
The caterpillar takes a journey into a
chrysalis, hides out and transforms into a beautiful butterfly that we
enjoy. More people take pictures of
butterflies than caterpillars I am sure.
Butterflies are more appealing to the eye.
Do you think a butterfly wishes to return to a
caterpillar stage? They would give up
flying to return to crawling along the rough, dangerous ground.
Do you think a butterfly longs to hide in a
chrysalis? They would give up beauty and
freedom to return to the hardships involved in transformation.
How often do we wish for a different stage of
life? Do you ever long to go somewhere
and hide out? Does a time in your past
bring shame to your present journey?
A beautiful spirit takes time to develop. The maturity we long for inside requires a
process. Each day builds on the next. Each lesson learned, often through hardships,
is part of the transformation.
I could create a long list of moments in the
past I regret. Often, those events creep
into my thoughts and the enemy twists them in hopes to bring me down. The enemy desires me to crash, crawl back
into my pit and hide out. This battle
could go in two directions. . .
I could choose to fall in a dark pit of shame,
guilt, regret, anger and sadness. Allowing
the enemy to win delays the greatness that God plans for this chapter of my
life. The journey stalls and my purpose
cannot be fulfilled. Choosing the pit
over the path steals my joy in this moment and hides the light of God.
I could choose to combat the enemy’s lies with
God’s Truth. As I turn up the volume on
God’s voice, the enemy cowers down. God
reveals the beauty that developed from my past.
Each moment in the prior chapters of my life have purpose. Yes, they were difficult; but, without them,
I would not be as strong and beautiful on the inside as I am in this
moment.
God prepares us daily for the next page, the
following chapter and continues to write our story in life. Looking back in shame hinders forward
progress. Rereading the past chapters in
life breaks open the wounds. Visiting
the pit of the past steals our purpose of the present.
Stand strong dear friends. Don’t allow the enemy to lead you back in the
pit. There is no purpose in the
pit. God has transformed you from your
past to move forward on the path laid before you and fulfill a mighty
purpose. Use the transformation to help
others out of their pit. Use spiritual
growth to lead others down the path of recovery, growth and peace.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Take one step at a time forward on your
journey in life.
Live life. . .One Day at a
time!
Sheree Craig
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