Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:2-3

The caterpillar that turns into the spicebush swallowtail butterfly is incredible at the art of disguise. It goes from it’s first stage (an egg) to it’s second stage, a young caterpillar, it has white streaks on a dark brown body and it’s disguise is that of bird poop. Therefore, no birds want to eat them!

In it’s third and final stage as a caterpillar it turns an almost florescent green and has two big spots that look like giant eyes. This disguise is designed to make them look like a common green snake. Most birds avoid snakes and therefore avoid eating the spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.

If attacked, this caterpillar has one more trick up it’s sleeve. It
thrusts out its osmeterium (oz-me-TEAR-ee-uhm), which is a glandular protrusion that secretes a cocktail that gives off a foul odor, causing most preditors to run. Yet to some humans it is very pleasing.

When these caterpillars finally turn into butterflies, even this is a disguise. Because they look extremely similar to the pipevine swallowtail that is apparently very distasteful to birds, so again, birds avoid them and will not eat them.

This Caterpillar/butterfly, has an enemy (birds) who would eat/destroy them. But God devised them in such a way that they would be proficient at the art of disguise and that they would appear in different forms and ultimately that they would have a transformation from a couple of pretty ugly forms to a spectacular one.

God has done the same for us.

Like the caterpillar we have several stages…our first stage is the one in which we are born sinners. Then we move on to our second stage, hatching and growing and sinning. Spiritually, we resemble the Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar in it’s second stage, we look like poop, lol. We are sinful and damaged and not very appealing. In our third and final stage as a caterpillar we have become more sinful, more cunning and more deceptive and we too are snake like.

Ideally, God desires that we would all make it to the final butterfly stage. (For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who soever believes in Him will not perish but have ever lasting life. John 3:16). But the reality is, only those who choose to repent of their sins and follow Jesus will make it to this stage.

In this final stage, we are so similar to the Spicebush, that (as believers) we even have an aroma…(Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

This final stage is where the transformation takes place, we accept Christ as Lord of our lives, casting off our old unappealing sinful ways (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Then our spiritual appearance, like the appearance of the Spicebush Butterfly, becomes spectacular. Because, just like the Spicebush, we resemble someone else.

As followers of Christ, our appearance should be similar to that of Christ Jesus Himself. (Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2). And what could be more beautiful.

I pray that today we would cast off any remaining appearances of that old self and that we would remember that we have been transformed into the beautiful image of Jesus Christ. But, unlike the Spicebush we have to strive to appear in Christ’s image. We have to choose to be loving, kind, caring (Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, Colossians 3:12). I pray that we would desire to imitate Him in all that we think say and do and that we would do it so well that the enemy would be fooled by our disguise and would flee from us the way that he would Jesus Himself. I pray that we would be a fragrant aroma to God and that those around us would hunger for Him, simply because they see Him in us.

If you do not know the beauty, mercy, grace and forgiveness of our Precious Savior, I pray that you would go to our life preserver page right now and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Once you have, please reach out to me at admin@forgiven-n-loved.com and let me know so that I can be in prayer for you and can help you grow in your relationship with, and knowledge of, our Precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

Luv Ya!