Butterfly Lady

I mentioned in my last post that my friend Charlene loves butterflies. They are kind of her symbol. If I ever see a butterfly I think of her. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people at my old church would say the same thing.

When I first realized that Charlene had a "symbol" I thought it was a bit weird. I just have always been plain old Bev. No frills. I've never collected anything. I don't really relate to any specific creature or item. There's nothing that I just absolutely love.

Then, I started to learn more about Charlene and about why she enjoys butterflies so much. For Charlene, butterflies are a symbol of transformation. They are a visual of 2 Cor. 5:17.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

The more I think about that verse and where I am in life, the more I understand Charlene's fascination with the butterfly.

When I was saved a set of actions was set in place. So, I was saved. I am being saved. I will be saved. Or, to put it another way, I was transformed. I am being transformed. And Glory, Hallelujah! I will be transformed on that great and glorious day.

I think with transformation sometimes comes reformation. Surely some parts of that old caterpillar are used once the transformation process begins, they are just maybe reformed into a pretty spot on a wing.

I've seen that in my life. Prior to my transformation I was a hard and unpleasant, like a thorny bush with no blooms. There was not much to enjoy. I had a lot of anger and bitterness. I had a lot of hurt that I'd not let Christ heal. I had a lot of selfish desires that served as my motivation.

Upon my transformation (or salvation if transformation is to wishy-washy of a word for you), there was some immediate healing. There was a great deal of forgiveness. There was a renewal of my mind (Romans 12:1-2) so that my selfish desires are more of a burden to me now than before.

I wouldn't be so dumb as to say I no longer have troubles in any of these areas, but you see, I am being transformed and reformed. Many of those hurts have already been reformed into experiences that I can use to help others through various situations. Most of the anger and bitterness has been reformed into a soft spot for those who are struggling in these areas. The selfish desires... well, perhaps those are the thorns on this rose. Ya know... Every rose has it's thorns. (You know you wanna sing that now).

And it's not just struggles like those that are being reformed. My thought processes are reformed also. Ya know... like Romans 12:1-2 says. I am constantly thinking and processing and reforming my thoughts on Christianity in general. Now, That's not to say that my theology is changing. It's not. I am pretty grounded in what I believe. BUT, the manner in which those beliefs are carried out and shared is constantly changing. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

Sometimes it's good to adapt the means of communication to fit the listener. You can do that without watering down the truth. Afterall, if I truly believe that Scripture is sufficient and SUPERIOR to anything man could say and if I am sharing Scripture and trusting the Holy Spirit to do His job, then what do I have to worry about. I mean, I am NOT the one doing the salvation. I am merely the messenger.

The transformation/reformation process is hard though. Sometimes it's hard to let go of pet sins or to see another equally valid point of view when we are used to looking at things from a particular angle. It's a struggle. But this process was never said to be easy.

I do know this. I look forward to the day when I am complete in Christ, and when, as my header says, my image reflects his glory more fully. Perhaps then I will be worthy to utilize a symbol such as a butterfly. Right now, I am stil a big hairy worm.