Soulshine

In many ways the human person is like a caterpillar. Throughout our lives we are faced with major changes that cause us great fear and emotional pain. Every day we are constantly being asked by God or the universe to change, grow and morph into being new creations; much like caterpillars change, grow and morph into being butterflies. This process is never pretty, however, because we are forced to leave our comfort zones and enter into dark, scary places inside ourselves. Deep within we realize that life—as we have known it—is changing in ways that make us fearful and resistant to these changes. Sometimes we may even feel like our world is coming to an end. And in reality, our world—as we have known it— may truly be coming to an end if we make the conscious choice to grow into the newness of life that God is calling us to enter. The choice is ours. We can freeze-up with fear and be overpowered by the need to stay in our comfort zone, or we can choose to move forward into an...

The air is alive with yellow butterflies today. Everywhere I walk or look my eyes are entranced by their joyful acrobatics. I’ve watched them fly, twist and turn in all directions. They’ve encircled my head, rubbed noses with each other and introduced themselves to every flower. In many ways, these butterflies remind me of two year old children who are excited about their new-found ability to walk upright and explore the world around them. Two-year-olds always seem so exhilarated as they chase after all of the mysteries and fascinations their ever-expanding worlds have to offer them. Remember when you chased after life with wide-eyed wonderment? Remember when everything seemed new and exciting? Remember when you thought you had wings-enough to float through life like a butterfly? Inside my heart, I hear a solid round of “No, no, no.” It’s been so long since everything seemed radiant and beautiful to me that I don’t remember what it was like to experience the world anew ...