Welcome to Fun Facts Friday!! (Yes, I am aware that it is not Friday. But I like rhymes and “Fun Facts Saturday” just doesn’t work.)
I found a moth wing in the parking lot yesterday when my dad and I went to visit my grandmother’s grave. If you know me, you know I am obligated to adopt loose wandering wings into my collection – so I gingerly picked it up and put it in the cupholder to take home. And when I picked it up, I noticed the shiny pixie-dust impression it left on my fingers after making contact.
Did you know that the colors and patterns on butterfly & moth wings are actually made up of tiny overlapping scales? They aren’t copy-paste cutouts. Even though there are breeds and common markings, each one is infinitely unique and different. This is why, when the scales fall off upon touching your fingers, the wing begins to look more transparent.
The wings themselves are made of chitin, a strong long-chain polymer. Chitin is also what forms the butterfly & moth exoskeleton – which is the same thing that makes up a crab’s hard armor and contributes to the makeup of a mollusk’s shell! Isn’t that incredible? The butterfly, widely recognized as a delicate and vulnerable creature, is actually made of the same stuff as a tough, armored crab!
All this made me start to wonder. Why is it that I have always been so interested in wings? Why have I been collecting them for as long as I can remember, “beautiful” or not?
Perhaps because I have always found strength in softness.
A caterpillar before its metamorphosis is vulnerable, pretty much defenseless, and relatively clueless. A butterfly, on the other hand, is a creature made new. It can fly to escape, even keep birds away via camouflage or cautionary colors. It’s not predatory, but it is no longer as weak as it once was. And how did it become that way? Through enduring the metamorphosis. Their bodies literally DISSOLVE and REBUILD. How crazy is that?
Well… maybe not that crazy.
After all, we do it too.
When we answer the call to follow Jesus, we become “born again.” (John 3:3)
God doesn’t put us through refining fire with the intention to burn us. He does it with a careful eye, burning out of us the things that are hurting us and our relationship with him. We are called to set aside all evil deeds and be made new – and when we say yes, we are able to shed every burden. Every chain snaps in half. Every stronghold crumbles, and every curse spoken against us turns back on the one who whispered it. Yes, we change. Yes, we must put away who we used to be, no matter how much fun that old life seemed. And that can be painful and challenging to say the least. But it’s the only way to make room for what God has for you. And what he has for you is so much better.
You are no longer vulnerable to spiritual attacks – you are covered and protected. (John 10:27-29)
You are no longer a slave to your temptations and sins – Jesus paid the price so you can walk free. (1Peter 2:24)
You don’t have to be afraid of the dark anymore – it can’t touch you, because the source of light itself is holding onto you. (John 8:12)
The problem is, we are often tempted to let challenges make us bitter. Angry. Depressed. Self-pitying. Anxious. Distracted. So many things that God never intended. You see, the enemy would LOVE for pain to harden you. God, on the other hand, wants the pain to soften you. When we turn to him in our struggle, arms up, sobbing, heart wide open… he doesn’t shy away, he rejoices. That’s exactly where he does his best work. In the chrysalis, with your heart absolutely melted on the floor, he is reconstructing you into something you never thought possible.
Where there was once vulnerability, he brings protection.
Where there was once insecurity, he brings humble confidence.
Where there was once compromise, he brings loving conviction.
Where there was once loneliness, he brings perfect peace.
Where there was once suffering, he brings victory.
The metamorphosis doesn’t always happen quickly – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
It may feel like everything is falling apart, but really, if it’s in God’s hands, it’s falling into place. Things just may not land where you thought they would. And that’s okay. Do your best to trust and know that there is a reason. It may not make you feel better – but it’s important to cling to the truth even when the truth doesn’t feel good.
Take Franklin for example. Franklin, a Red-Spotted Purple Admiral, emerged from his chrysalis only to find that his wings were crumpled. He could not fly. Maybe he had eclosion issues, maybe he was unable to hang-dry his wings once exiting the chrysalis, maybe he had tachinid fly or wasp parasites… we’ll never know what caused that disability. What I do know, though, is that God’s timing is perfect. Franklin was wandering around on the driveway, not a flower or bit of shelter in sight, at the same time I was. And I felt the same exact way. It was two days after my first breakup, one of the worst days of my life. I felt completely lost and exposed to the wilderness, too.
He trusted me immediately and let me take care of him. And something in me said “that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.” (I KNOW, I KNOW. IT SOUNDS CLICHE AND CHEESY BUT JUST STICK WITH ME HERE OKAY??)
It’s hard to trust God when we suffer because it feels like he’s just standing there, watching, letting it happen. But I wonder what would happen if we considered… maybe he’s hurting too. Maybe he feels your pain. Maybe, just maybe, he remembers what it was like to be hurt deeply by the people he loved. Betrayed by the one he called friend. Killed by the people he wanted so desperately to save.
Maybe your pain is a whole lot closer to his heart than you think.
If you come to the same conclusion I did, the pain no longer hardens you. It begins to soften you and draw you closer to him.
Taking care of Franklin gave me joy – not because he was perfect, but because he loved me. And I think that’s how God feels too. He takes pleasure in helping us grow. He does his best work when we are weak. Our connection grows when we turn to him rather than away from him. He doesn’t want us to be perfect – he just wants us to be his.
The same chitin that forms the crab’s tough shell also forms the butterfly’s wings. You can allow the pain to harden you, or you can turn it over to God and let him grow you. Freedom is found in surrender, not in “toughening up.” Softness is not weakness – it’s quiet strength.
And just like the butterfly’s scales rub off on those who touch it, the joy and peace and strength we find in Christ rubs off on those we encounter. The butterfly’s wing grows transparent when you look beneath the color, and we, too, are called to be transparent when others ask why we remain gentle in such a harsh world.
Anyway… that’s just something that’s been on my mind today. If you haven’t experienced your own metamorphosis yet… don’t worry. It’s not too late. God can transform anyone, anytime. ♡
(A few more connections I noticed!!)
~ Just as God placed each and every butterfly scale perfectly where he wanted it on their wings, he knows every individual hair on your head too! (Matthew 10:30)
~ Butterflies search out sweet nectar as their food. The word of God is both sweet and satisfying, the food for our souls! (Psalm 119:103, Matthew 4:4)
~ No butterfly is exactly the same, but we know which breed they belong to by their markings. In the same way, we are recognized as Jesus’ followers (or his enemies) by the fruit we produce. (Matthew 7:16)
~ A butterfly behaves differently than its former caterpillar self because it has been truly changed. We too must give up our old ways if we want to honor the transformative work God has done in our lives. No turning back. (2Corinthians 5:17)
~ Did you know that some caterpillars actually hunt? Yet even after the butterfly emerges with its new skills and abilities, it never becomes predatory. Instead, it becomes even more peaceful than before. We are also called to live in peace as much as possible. (Romans 12:18)
~ Mountain soils don’t have all the minerals that butterflies need, so they often land on hikers to drink their sweat. Congratulations, you are a natural resource! … Not really sure how to connect that to Christianity, but… now you know. Yes I am disgustingly educated on butterflies and I will not hesitate to inflict that knowledge upon others
~ Butterflies see colors we can’t. We as believers are aware of the spiritual realm – something unbelievers cannot see. (It’s a bit of a stretch but I still thought it was a cool connection.) (Romans 12:2)
~ Butterflies are secondary pollinators. They carry pollen from one flower to another on accident – the same way we should live so fully for Christ that his influence rubs off on people even without a direct “Jesus conversation.” (Matthew 5:16)
~ Butterflies can’t fly when they’re cold. They always wait to warm up before taking off. We, too, should seek the Lord every morning and warm our hearts to his will as we prepare to face the day. (Psalm 143:8)
~ Even though the butterfly is completely different from it’s former caterpillar self, it remembers things from that time. We too are called to use our testimonies to push the gospel forward – not pretend we never had a past. (Psalm 71:15-18, Psalm 66:16)
~ Some butterflies, like monarchs, huddle together for warmth when the temperature drops. We as believers are also told to gather and pray when times get tough – not because God doesn’t hear us when we’re alone, but because we are a family. (And God ALWAYS comes to family get-togethers hehe) (Hebrews 10:25)
~ Most butterflies rest with their wings upright. We also find rest when our hearts are upright, focused on our Creator and Protector! (Philippians 4:6-7)
~ Butterflies (particularly migratory ones) use the sun as a navigator. Guess who our guide is?? THE SON (yes, pun 100% intended) (John 14:6, Micah 6:8)
~ Some butterflies don’t have actual color pigment (particularly iridescent blues, greens and purples). The structure of their scales simply reflect very specific wavelengths of light. Similarly, we too are called to conduct ourselves in a way that reflects God, not ourselves. He is where our true colors come from. (Genesis 1:27)
OKAY OKAY I’LL STOP
Another quick thing to note – I am a true moth enthusiast as well. Butterflies just had a better hold on this particular lesson I learned. … so imma give some of my moth homies a moment of well-deserved attention too 🙂
♡~ Skippy (the girl with the Harnessed Tiger Moth tattoo)