The Incredible Journey of a Lifetime
In our few short years in Pasadena this has all been new to us. We’re originally from Arizona and in the desert you get cold, dry winters and hot, dry summers. There are not many flowers and the only real green that you see are the towering saguaro. But here in Pasadena it is another world completely and we’ve noticed that every year these spiky caterpillars emerge by the dozens in our yard. We never see them eating or exploring the landscape. These guys seem to have one goal in life and that is to scale the sides of the house, to find the perfect spot along the edges of the roof to form their chrysalis and begin their transformation in hopes that they may one day fly.
Watching these caterpillars is incredible. They slowly begin their ascent and climb inch-by-inch up the sides of the house. They usually do not make it on their first attempt. A gust of wind will knock them down or they will lose their footing and fall to the floor, but they never give up. They might lay stunned for a moment on the floor, but then they roll over and proceed to try again. They know their purpose and they stop at nothing to achieve it.
As a Christian I can appreciate this as an example of my own faith journey. As a child of God I believe we all have a purpose, the same goal and desire to know God, experience His love, and ultimately be with Him for eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the purpose that we all share, even those who don’t believe. The way we live our lives determines whether we will ever reach that goal. Those of us who have been given the gift of faith and have received the grace of baptism become focused on that goal. We are no longer tempted by the things of this world, but rather seek eternal things and do all we can to get to know God. As we begin our journey “up the wall” we too are often knocked down by “storms” in our lives, those difficult situations when our faith is tested. Other times we “lose our grip” because we are not seeking to be with God, but to glorify ourselves. He is the first one to knock us down, humbling us, and showing us that it is not about us, but about Him.
When Death Becomes Us
When the caterpillar finally reaches the top and finds the perfect spot it grabs on tight with his hind legs and lets go. As he dangles upside down off the rooftop his appearance begins to change, his body stiffens, his head falls off, and he begins his metamorphosis.
The Christian too must undergo this transformation and the process is strikingly similar. Not just in death, but each time we die to self. When we truly “let go” and give ourselves to God we are transformed. And when we arrive at the end of our journey, we lie down and take our last breathe. Once life has left us, our appearance begins to change and our body stiffens as it is overcome by rigor-mortis and begins to decay. But this isn’t the end.
The End is Just the Beginning
It is here that the caterpillar is transformed into a new being and given a new body and new abilities. When the transformation is complete he opens the chrysalis and emerges in a glorified state. The butterfly is undeniably beautiful and spreads it wings, takes flight, and soars above the ground it was once forced to crawl upon.
“He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” ~ Nicene Creed
Christ is risen! We as Christians also look forward to our own resurrection, when we too emerge from our “chrysalis” with our glorified bodies, spread our wings, and take flight. We will look back on time on Earth as a brief moment in what we now know to be eternity. And our beauty will only be rivaled by the glory of the God who loved us enough to make this all possible. Lent is our time to refocus on what our life is all about, learning to love God. As we rethink our priorities, direct our lives toward Christ, and prepare to celebrate His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday, let us also seek to be transformed by the decisions we make each day to love and be loved so that we might one day be with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.
