Tag: butterfly eggs

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Make It to the Next Level

Even though butterfly eggs are glued securely to the plant, they are quite vulnerable. If the weather is too cold or too dry, they won’t survive. They are often eaten by birds, snails, spiders, other insects, and reptiles. Grazing animals sometimes eat the leaves the eggs were laid on.

One of the worst problems is that microscopic wasps get into the butterfly eggs and eat the yolk.  Sometimes, the eggs are laid never having been fertilized. When this happens, the eggs will dry out and rot. As you can see, there are many dangers awaiting the butterfly eggs, which is why the vast majority will not survive and make it to the next stage. Who knew?

But butterfly eggs aren’t the only creatures whose survival is in jeopardy. Baby Christians will also experience perilous times. Peter tells us to Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Paul writes in his letter to Timothy that many will fall into temptations and traps that plunge people into ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 4:12). Perhaps the Lord himself described it best in his Parable of the Sower and the Seed.

Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:1-23).

In the same way that butterfly eggs have a tough time making it to the next level, Butterfly Believers also have a tough time surviving temptations, distractions, the devil, the cares and concerns of life, deception, lack of depth, or having no roots. St. Paul would add false teachers and persecution to the list. Hebrews would suggest that there are sins that entangle us and may jeopardize our walk with the Lord.

On the other hand, there is a purpose in our struggles. James reminds us to Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Mature and complete. Not lacking anything. Strong enough to endure whatever we face. That’s what the Lord has in mind for us. He has given us his spirit for strength, guidance, and inspiration. He also places people in our lives to encourage and mentor us. We have what it takes to make it. No wonder James can tell us to be joyful. But we still have to go through the storms and struggles.

This is what the people of God experienced during the tough days after they returned from the Babylonian captivity and started rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. They faced all sorts of difficulties. Yet, Nehemiah could stand up and proclaim to the people, The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). And he was right.

This is an excerpt from the book, Butterfly Believers, available on this website or from Amazon. The book is perfect for a personal 40-day devotional, but also an excellent resource for a class or home group discussion. A lot of people have given it as a gift. The photo below was taken and graciously provided by Don Biadog, a retired Navy chaplain.

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Counting the Cost

The average female butterfly will deposit from one hundred to three hundred eggs, some will produce as few as a dozen, and others more than a thousand. Some butterflies will place the eggs on the leaf one at a time. Others will deposit a group or a cluster of eggs, stacking them neatly, one on top of another. Still others will release a mass of eggs in a pile. Whatever method the butterfly uses, she will glue them onto the leaf, stem, or flower to make sure they won’t come off. The glue is so strong that it’s impossible to remove the egg without destroying the creature inside.

There are two similarities to Butterfly Believers I’d like to point out here. First, in the same way some eggs are laid one at a time and others are piled or grouped in a mass, some people come to faith in Christ individually while others are part of a large gathering where there may be hundreds who respond to the gospel at the same time.

The other similarity has to do with the church or fellowship we choose to attend. Some people live in a place where there is no church or congregation, so they worship, read the scriptures, and pray all by themselves. Many people around the world attend small churches of anywhere from ten people to fifty or sixty. And a lot of people prefer what may be called a megachurch, which may have hundreds or thousands gathering at the same time and place.

I met one man who dreamed that he met Jesus. That dream led him to “count the cost” and commit his life to Christ, even though he lived in a place where there was serious persecution. The expression “count the cost” comes from Luke 14:28, where Jesus said to a large crowd:

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? Later, when talking to his disciples, he told them, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny the self, take up his or her cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24).

I was six years old when my mother took our family to a camp meeting in a revival tent. Listening to the preacher, I understood for the first time that Jesus went to the cross for my sins. I turned to my brother and said, “I’m going up to get saved,” and he replied, “Me too!” We ran up the center aisle, around to the wooden benches behind the platform, and knelt until someone came and prayed with us. I don’t remember if there was anyone else praying to receive Christ as Lord and Savior that night, but there were at least two of us.

Years later, I attended several Billy Graham rallies in huge stadiums. When Dr. Graham gave a salvation altar call, literally hundreds of people left their seats, found their way to the ball field below, and en masse, committed their lives to Jesus Christ. It was an individual decision each person had to make, but it happened in a much larger setting than my boyhood experience or the man who had the dream.

There are many ways to come to and participate in the body of Christ. Size or numbers isn’t the point. What matters is devotion to the Lord, growing in your faith, and recognizing that you are part of the family of God.

This is an excerpt from the book, Butterfly Believers, a collection of devotional readings based on Romans 12:2 and butterfly metamorphosis. Paul Linzey is a former pastor & military chaplain, now teaching Spiritual Formation and Practical Ministry at Called College & North Central University.

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What’s for Dinner?

When it’s time to lay the eggs, a female butterfly searches for the appropriate host plant for her youngsters to grow up on. She instinctively knows that her hatchlings are limited as to what kind of plant they will eat, and places her eggs only on that plant.

When the caterpillars emerge from the eggs, they will stay on that particular host plant until they are adults who can fly. People who want to attract certain kinds of butterflies will do a little research to find out what that breed will eat, because the egg-laying butterfly won’t be fooled. For example, a Monarch eats only milkweed. A Viceroy has a few options: willow, poplar, aspen, apple, cherry, or plum. The Zebra Swallowtail needs pawpaw. And the Pearl Crescent is limited to asters. The list goes on and on, and is particular to each variety of butterfly.

The context for this discussion is Romans 12:1-2, so it may be helpful to understand that we are instructed not to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). According to the extended metaphor of metamorphosis, the food we’re concerned about is what we’re feeding our minds, because that’s the point in this verse and in our day-to-day lives. It’s crucial that we select the appropriate “host plant” for our mind and spirit.

The kind of Butterfly Believer you are will determine what you feed on, where you spend your time, what you read, who you hang out with, and what you choose for entertainment. A few relevant questions include: “Who and what are you allowing to influence you?” “Are your choices helping you to be strong in your faith and more faithful as a follower of Christ?” “Are you developing a keen sense of discernment, or like the butterflies, a well-developed instinctive knowing what is right or wrong when it comes to feeding?”

The apostle Paul wrote to one congregation: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

There is no “one size fits all” approach. What you do to care for and feed your mind and your spirit is extremely important, but also highly personal. Like the butterfly that looks for the right host plant to land on, you have to discover what works for you. And yet, you can also learn from others. As it says in Philippians 4:9, Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

The above is an excerpt from the book, Butterfly Believers.

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