Recently my friend’s son was taken to the ER with an allergic reaction to a caterpillar sting. He has recovered, but the incident made me wonder about butterflies! Do butterflies bite or sting? I headed to Google to find out.
What a relief! “Butterflies are not able to bite or sting because they do not have the necessary mouth parts. In contrast to other insects, the butterfly is a model of innocence,” The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory.
Another power packed spiritual lesson! The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is such a complete metamorphosis that the butterfly, which may have started out life as a stinging, biting caterpillar, has absolutely no ability to sting or bite because the stinging parts and teeth have gone. It is truly a new creation!
When we are born again and filled with the Spirit of God, all our stinging,biting parts are gone because according to 2 Corinthians 5:17 we are a new creation! In essence, if I am living moment by moment in the Spirit, I have no ability to bite!
Yet Paul, speaking to born again believers in Galatia wrote “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” Galatians 5:15. How can we bite and devour one another if we are a new creation? And we do don’t we? – bite each other I mean…
I wanted to bite this weekend. I battled back and forth between my Spirit and my flesh for two days. It felt like a battle to the death – who was going to win? Technically, I felt I was right. My feelings lusted and cried for justification. Spiritually I was wrong – for in Christ Jesus there is a different law at work in me, the law of love.
“For you brethren have been called to liberty, only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. I say then walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh,” Galatians 5:13-16.
Walking in the Spirit is a struggle if I continue to maintain my rights, my position, my self justification. As a Spirit filled believer, I had to make a choice this weekend – let my old nature rise up to bite and sting others with my words, or submit to my new nature and let the Holy Spirit live through me by seeking to understand, listen, speak words of love, forgiveness and peace. Is that easy? NO. Is it the path to peace and freedom? YES!
Won’t heaven be wonderful? – to be finally free from our stinging, biting flesh and become the perfect image of Jesus? Until then, the beautiful butterfly reminds me that I am innocent in His eyes and His Spirit lives in me making it possible for me to live the impossible life of love and freedom!
I love you,
Liz
Founder & Director,
Love UnVeiled
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, then it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29.