Changing the Impossible

“Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:26b-29 (NIV) If we had never seen it happen, we might think it impossible for a crawling caterpillar, slinking along the stem of a plant, to one day emerge as a whimsical work of art, capable of flying thousands of miles. God must have smiled when He made the butterfly. I can see Him thinking to Himself, “I wonder what my children will think of this.” Butterflies have a special organ at the base of their antennae to orient themselves during flight. Some butterflies can fly up to 24 mph. The Monarch migrates up to 3,000 miles. Those living west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to California, those east of the Rockies winter in Mexico. It is a mystery as to how the butterflies know where to migrate, as those migrating in the fall are the great, great grandchildren of those that left in the spring. There are days when I feel like that caterpillar — just a worm inching along, unable to fly. Do you ever get discouraged with such thoughts? If so, remember that the same God who changes the creeping caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly is the same God who promises to transform us into royalty. Sometimes, our transition points may look odd, like when the caterpillar encases itself inside a cocoon, but our Father knows the perfect recipe for change. Dear Jesus, you are a wonderful artist and full of delightful surprises. Thank you for giving us butterflies to reassure us that you are capable of transforming each one of us. — Sue Carlisle   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org