The next morning Haley met the kids as they got off the bus and she told them that she was going to take them on an adventure in the forest, but then something unexpected happened! The group was going up the driveway, and they had almost gotten to the farmhouse when Haley yelled, “Stop!!” The whole group stopped so suddenly that they fell in a heap! As the kids got back to their feet, Haley pointed to an orange & black butterfly on the driveway. The butterfly just sat there and flapped its wings, it did not seem to be able to fly. As the kids were watching the butterfly, a gust of wind came along and blew the butterfly onto Haley’s shoe! The butterfly held onto Haley’s shoe and did not leave! Haley did not know what to do, so she bent down and tried to gently nudge the butterfly off her shoe. The butterfly did leave Haley’s shoe, but it did not leave, it climbed onto Haley’s finger and stayed there!
Joe saw that the group had found something on the driveway, so he grabbed his crutches and went to the group. Haley asked Joe what she should do to get rid of the butterfly. Joe told Haley and the group that this butterfly had just come out of its cocoon and that it could not fly yet. The butterfly needed the sunshine to dry out and strengthen its wings so that it could fly. Haley needed to be very gentle and patient while the butterfly was waiting for the moment that it could fly. It probably would not be long before the butterfly could fly.
The kids were alarmed! They knew that Haley was extremely clumsy, and she could not avoid having constant accidents. How could they possibly save the beautiful butterfly from certain disaster? It was up to them to help Haley avoid disaster until the butterfly could fly away! Haley began walking carefully toward the farmhouse porch, but the garden hose was laying on the ground, and Haley might trip on it! Two of the kids threw themselves on the hose so that Haley would not get tangled up in it. The water was turned on, and the hose began squirting the kids as they were laying on the hose! They could not move as Haley carefully stepped over them, and freezing cold water was squirting out of their clothes!
Daniel, Haley’s pet raccoon, ran across the yard. The kids tried to grab him before he could get to Haley! Daniel dodged the kids, but he tripped over the two kids who were laying on the garden hose! The kids rolled off the hose and a burst of water hit Daniel and soaked him! Daniel screamed with rage and tried to run back to his hollow tree. He was slipping and sliding, and the rest of the group scrambled to get out of his way! One of the kids fell, and the rest of the group tripped over that kid, and they all ended up in a tangled mess on the ground with the cold water soaking them!
Joe had planned on giving the kids ice cream sundaes for a treat, and he had put a tray on the railing of the porch, the tray had ten can of spray whipped cream on it! One of the kids bumped into the porch and the tray wobbled and then fell. The ten cans of whipped cream rolled in the tangled group of kids! Whipped cream began spraying everywhere! The water was still spraying, the whipped cream was spraying, and all the kids were soaked, covered with mud, covered with grass, and covered with whipped cream!
Meanwhile, Haley was standing carefully beside the porch and the butterfly was still perched on her finger. Joe was watching the kids and just shaking his head, he was used to Haley being clumsy and getting covered with mud and everything else imaginable, but he was not used to seeing a whole group of kids tangled up on the ground covered with water, mud, grass, and whipped cream!
The kids finally got untangled and got to their feet. Joe told them all to line up and he picked up the hose and washed them off. Once the kids were sort of clean, they all turned to look at Haley, and at that moment the butterfly began flapping its wings and flew up into the tree behind the house!
Joe told all the kids to sit down in the sun so that they could dry off. While they were drying Joe began to teach them a little bit about butterflies and taught them a little bit more about God.
The orange and black butterfly is a Monarch Butterfly. Butterflies do not begin their life as beautiful flying insects; they begin as caterpillars that crawl on the ground and on plants. Many people do not like caterpillars, and kill them if they see them. Also, many birds will eat caterpillars. But then a change happens; a caterpillar makes a cocoon in which they ‘sleep’ for a while. While they are in the cocoon something remarkable happens; they become a butterfly! They emerge from the cocoon as a beautiful insect with wings, but they cannot fly right away. They need to wait for their wings to dry and get strong before they can take off and fly up into the sky. The Monarch Butterfly is the only type of butterfly that leaves for the winter. When the weather starts to get colder, Monarchs fly to a warmer place; some of them fly as far as Mexico.
We can compare the life of a Monarch Butterfly to the life of a believer. When we start this life, we are like that caterpillar; because of sin in our life, we are like worms, there is nothing good about us. But when the caterpillar goes into the cocoon, a huge change is made; they are born again as a butterfly! In the same way, when a person turns to Jesus a huge change is made; they are born again as a new creature in Christ.
In the Bible in John 3:7 Jesus says:
So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
In the Bible in II Corinthians 5:17 it says:
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
After a person has asked Jesus into their life and they are born again, they spend time getting to know God and ‘getting strong in Christ’ like the Monarch Butterfly spends time getting strong wings so that it can fly.
In the Bible in II Peter 3:18 it says:
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him, both now and forever! Amen.
In the Bible in Ephesians 6:10 it says:
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Just like the Monarch Butterfly is preparing to migrate to a warmer place, God is helping believers to prepare for life in a far better place called heaven.
In the Bible in John 14:1-3 Jesus says:
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.
If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive your sins, please take time to talk to God and do this today.
If you have already asked Jesus to come into your heart, then remember that every day He is making you stronger and getting you ready to go to your real home in heaven when this life on earth is done.