butterflies

I’ve just come back from a trip to Chicago.  It was a time to renew friendships, meet some new people, and learn about all the ways Loyola Press is helping people grow in their faith.  Thanks to everyone for making it a meaningful trip.

One of the exercises we did involved taking a butterfly cutout and embellishing it with words and decoration in order to tell a story.  It was an interesting task, and I couldn’t wait to share the meaning behind the message I was trying to convey.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and couldn’t fully explain (at least I didn’t have enough time).

So, here’s my story:  Sometime in May last year, I was sitting on my patio praying.  It was late morning, the sun was warm, a gorgeous day.  Unfortunately, I was down in the dumps, trying to get my life back on track, and had to make some big changes.  Change is always hard, isn’t it?

So, as I as sitting there with my coffee, I saw a monarch butterfly go shooting past. It caught my attention, and I was mesmerized as it flew through the air, darting, weaving, back and forth.  I’d never seen a butterfly do this before, and I thought it might have been poisoned somehow,  maybe landing on a leaf that had been sprayed with pesticide.

As it flew, side to side, up and down, fast and slow, it suddenly came to me.  This must be its first flight!  Shortly before I witnessed this inaugural journey into the sky, it was in a cocoon. How difficult is it to make this change?  What did the Lord want to say to me in giving me this experience?

As I continued to watch, I was almost moved to tears.  I had never seen anything like it, and it truly was a gift.  And I know God was speaking to me through it.  I believe He wanted to tell me that it was time for a new beginning for me.  A radical transformation was in order.  It would be hard, painful, but also exhilarating.   And it would lead to places I previously could not have gone.

Most big changes are going to be hard.  But I think God is there, standing on the sidelines, cheering us on, calling us to a new Way, a new Life.  I continue to be struck by the experience I had that late spring morning.  I could never had predicted the transformation the Lord began in me that day, which still continues even now.  What do you think God wants to transform in you?