Outward appearances are deceiving, so don't be too quick to judge.
Take caterpillars, for instance. Some caterpillars are a thing of beauty,
but most of them aren't much to look at. They crawl around like colored
worms, they eat leaves for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they have the
personality of a sea slug. How many people have invited you over to look at
their caterpillar collection? Few to none, I'll bet. When God passed out
good looks, he apparently skipped the caterpillars.
After caterpillars mature, they spin a silken chrysalis around their plump
body, and they go into what seems like hibernation. In the chrysalis stage,
they're not much to look at either. A chrysalis may represent outstanding
engineering, but as a thing of beauty it's an abject failure. Their
chrysalis condo is simply their crash pad while God works the wonders of
metamorphosis.
When the butterfly finally emerges from the chrysalis, a miracle has
happened. The former ugly duckling is now a thing of beauty. Colors
splash across its wings, and the former slug like plant eater now enjoys the
freedom of flight. It spends the rest of its days flying from flower to
flower sucking up the nectar of life.
Everybody likes butterflies. These delicate flying palates of color remind
us how much God loves beautiful things. God didn't have to make them
beautiful. He could have made them look like flying slugs; just attach
drab wings to a caterpillar's body, and the job is done.
Perhaps God made butterflies to teach us lessons about life and make us more
tolerant and less judgmental. We are all a work in progress and although
were not butterflies yet, we can't become butterflies without first being
caterpillars. We've got to eat a lot of leaves and do a lot of growing
before we blossom into our final state. Just as you can't judge a book by
its cover, you can't judge a caterpillar by its color. The caterpillar
might not look like much now, but when God gets done with it, it will become
a creature of splendor.
Judging people harshly in their caterpillar stage is a big mistake. They
are a work in progress, and what you see is not the finished product. Right
now, a person may not look like much, but when God finishes working his
miracle, a new person painted by God's palette of love will emerge in
awesome beauty.
Don't be quick to judge yourself in a harsh manner either; you also are a
work in progress. Your caterpillar stage might not seem like fun, but God
knows what He is doing. You have to be a caterpillar before you can become
a butterfly; there is no other way. God is working behind the scenes,
taking care of the details, and things are going to work out.
God has a dream for your life that is better than you can imagine. When you
get into agreement with His plan, there's no limit to how good your life can
become.
