Save the Caterpillars

A few weeks ago, I was sweeping leaves off of our driveway. Fall is here! Can I get an amen?!

As I was collecting one batch, I looked down and noticed a caterpillar had almost gotten caught in my pile. 

My immediate thought upon seeing the little creature was this: 

We need to save the caterpillars!

OK, so that wasn’t the exact initial thought. At first, I thought about how a dead caterpillar means the loss of a future butterfly. If caterpillars are not able to make it to the cocoon and transformation phase, they never get to come out the other side as beautiful butterflies.

Save the caterpillars for the sake of the butterflies.

It got me thinking about people. If we do not look on people with grace and see them for the potential they have, if we dismiss them as beyond hope or help, we miss the opportunity to see them transform. 

Paul, in the Bible, would be a good example. If all anyone saw was Saul, we wouldn’t have a large portion of the New Testament.

The Lord saw him for who He could be and loved him in both seasons.

I think caterpillars and sinners could be used interchangeably. Everyone needs grace before the Lord saves them (and even afterwards, because His mercies are new each morning). 

If sinners were dismissed, they would never join the ranks of the saved. They would never get to experience the transformative power of grace. What a gift that the Lord does not leave the decision of who should or should not be saved and when or how up to us humans! We’re not trustworthy enough to handle that. 

To return to the initial discussion, we need to save the caterpillars. They need to have the chance to transform into butterflies.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Much like caterpillars become something entirely new, we are new creations once Jesus has gotten ahold of us. Our process could be described as sinners saved by grace, but the Lord doesn’t stop there. We shed that identity to become his children. A butterfly is not still considered a caterpillar after its transformation, therefore, we should consider ourselves new creations, children of God. 

What a gift. 

Remember, save the caterpillars. It’s the only way we’ll get butterflies.