The Butterfly

Today, I received the most wonderful gift from my mother. She's been supporting me throughout my spiritual journey throughout the past few months and has been fantastic about letting me come home from Bible Study and process through things with her.

She gave me a ring for my birthday. Its very simple, sterling silver with a small butterfly etched on the top of it. Simple, elegant, and beautiful. The description of the ring inside the box included the following message:

"Butterflied are of the Lepidoptera order of insects characteristically having slender bodies, knobbed antennae and four broad, usually colorful wings. Because of its life cycle, the butterfly is a strong resurrection symbol to Christians. The lowly caterpillar represents man in his mortal state on Earth. As a chrysalis, the butterfly seems lifeless, but is in the process of being transformed. It is the parallel of man in the grave. The final state, when the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon in a new form, is a symbol of the raising of the dead on the last day; a symbol of everlasting life for all Christians. When applied to Christ's resurrection, the three stages represent Christ born of a woman to be human, Christ in the tomb after his Crucification, and a glorious resurrected Christ, triumphant over sin and death."

I also took a second meaning from the symbolism behind a caterpillar's transformation to a butterfly; an indefinitely more personal one that can apply to anyone anywhere. For many of us, we go throughout our days as if we were "dead". Not dead in the literal sense, but dead in that we didn't know Christ's love for us. We hadn't found our relationship with God, yet. I was that way. This is me as a caterpillar. My wonderful friends and family who began to push me to rediscover a relationship with God are the wrapping surrounding the chrysalis of a caterpillar as it's undergoing its transformation to a butterfly. They provide support and protection and allow me, as a caterpillar, to grow and mature as I am developing a relationship with Christ. Then the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon. For me, this represents the day that you let Christ fully take over your mind, body, and soul. This is the day that you are filled with God's love and Christ's love and begin to live as they would have you live. This is the day that you accept Christ's love as your own.

For these reasons, the ring that I now wear on the fourth digit on my left hand will forever have a very intense symbolism and meaning for me.

"My soul finds rest in God alone: My salvation comes from him."

Psalm 62-1