The Butterfly

The greatest testimony that I can bear, and the most powerful witness that I can share, is that of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What else could be as important as the atonement? The sacrifice that makes it possible for us to repent and return to the presence of God. 

God wants all of us to repent and return to Him.  His greatest joy is to see His children grow and progress and become as He is.

Jesus Christ came to preach repentance, to bind up the broken hearted, to show the way home;  And that way is repentance;  to completely turn away from the world, from our sins, and turn completely to God. 

God has said about those who repent and turn away from their sins and do them no more; "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the LORD, remember them no more." 

What an amazing promise!  "I remember them no more." 

I have often wondered how the Lord could, "remember them no more", especially when the temporal effects of my mistakes were still so prevalent in my life.

Recently, I read an analogy that described this phenomena perfectly; and I remember an experience I had as a child.

When I was a child, my parents had a couple of apple trees in their back yard. I loved to climb those trees and eat the apples that grew there.  But one year the trees became covered in some sort of nasty cobwebs. Upon closer inspection I found that the trees were infested with worms. Ugly little caterpillars were crawling all over our trees. And every time I went near those cobwebs I would end up covered in worms too. 

As the summer progressed, I found cocoons everywhere. But after a few more weeks, something magical happened. One morning I awoke to find the butterflies emerging from their chrysalis.

They stretched their wings to reveal beautiful new colours and patterns, as they warmed themselves and dried their wings in the sunshine. 

No longer did I see the ugly worms they once were. I only saw beautifully coloured wings, dancing on the breeze, floating gently from flower to flower. I was amazed at the metamorphosis which had taken place. 

This is how God sees each of us; that as we repent a metamorphosis occurs, wherein we turn into a new creation before Christ. No longer does God remember our old sins, but sees only the beautiful creature we have become, His very own sons and daughters, the sons and daughters of God.

May we follow the example of our Saviour, and no longer remember each other's sins and shortcomings.  May we only see the potential that each of us has as a child of God.  And may we treat each other accordingly, as we want Christ to treat us.  May we have as much patience with each other as we want Heavenly Father to have with us.  And may we view each other as Heavenly Father views us, of infinite potential. 

.