Jen’s Gem: Let your light shine!

Yesterday on my walk I spotted something colorful on the ground. As I approached it, I saw that it was a butterfly, sadly dead. Its wings were spread out and it was lying flat. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a sight such as this and it stayed with me for quite a while afterwards.

As you can see from the photo, the beautiful insect didn’t look old or sickly. In fact, it almost looks fake because its entire body is intact. I couldn’t help but wonder what cut this beautiful creature’s life so short?
 
Well, according to Mr. Googly, butterflies only live between two and six weeks and it takes a couple of weeks for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly. What? A caterpillar sure does exert alot of effort to live a just few weeks.

I doubt that the caterpillar knows its lifespan will be so short. I also doubt it knows the joy it will bring to so many when it emerges into its final state.
 
I wonder how many lives one little butterfly touches. How many “oo’s” and “ah’s” it might get from its admirers. This got me to thinking about people. Our lifespans, if we are blessed, are much longer than a butterfly. How many lives do we touch during our time on earth? What is the impact we have on others?
 
Recently, the pastor of my church gave a sermon on the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly. He spoke about how God plants a seed of greatness into everything He creates and that this is how He sees His creation. So, God sees the butterfly, not the caterpillar. 
 
Since He knows the beginning from the end, He sees the final result when He looks at everything He created. It’s our job to get aligned with what He sees, so that we can fulfill His plan for our lives. Just as He saw that gorgeous butterfly flitting around my neighborhood, He sees you and I in our final form living the life He planned for us from before the world was formed.
 
However, unless we are in continual conversation with God, working with Him on His plan for our lives, we can get stuck in the caterpillar state for longer than we should. We can short circuit God’s plan and fail to become the butterfly He envisioned. Disconnected from God, we end up clipping our own wings.
 
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NKJV)
 
John 15:5 confirms this statement. We can bear much fruit or we can wither away. It’s our choice which path we want to follow. When we are connected to God through His Son Jesus, we are blessed. Without Him, not so much.
 
The Bible tells us clearly in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has a plan for each of us and that it’s a good plan. It has to be a good plan because God doesn’t create anything bad. (Tweet this)
 
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV)
 
Each of us has greatness inside of us. Maybe it’s to be a great mom or dad. Maybe it’s to be a great singer. Maybe it’s to be a great doctor. Whatever it is, God wants us to change lives with our greatness. He wants us to use that greatness to point people to Him and His Son. Because guess what? That’s who put the greatness inside of you!
 

Life is difficult – especially these days. You may be feeling not so great. You may be feeling like that caterpillar struggling with your breakthrough. You may not even want to break through because with the world being so crazy, it’s just not worth the effort.

I get it. It’s tempting to want to give up, hide yourself away and just “get through life.” However, I’d like to encourage you to reconsider this notion and read what it says in Matthew 5:14-17:

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (NKJV)

You were created in the likeness of God, designed to do great things. Don’t let anything or anyone clip your wings. Remember, with God, anything is possible.