I know these are repeat pictures but I love to see the progression of God's handiwork :)
What a difference a day makes!!
7 days later...Not a great picture but you can actually see the butterfly under the now transparent chrysalis...such a dramatic change from the evening before.
L was the first to hold the butterfly....here you can still see the totally transparent chrysalis on the jar lid...amazing!!
For some reason, this little critter really liked L...it crawled up his shoulder and later when he was sitting , it crawled up and down on his legs!!
Everyone gets a turn!
"God's creation is sooo cool!"
"Mommy...it tickles!"
Poor creature was probably exhausted when we were finished holding/handling him (or her!) 
Good-byes are never easy! Time to set 'George Washington/ Queen Lily' free he/she is perched above the kiddos heads on the 'butterfly bush'....A few hours later in the day we had soccer practice and there was a Monarch butterfly hovering over the field..L was convinced it was 'George Washington' coming to visit...too funny!!
Taking its first sip of nectar outside! Just beautiful :)I just love how the marvels of nature declare God's glory! Watching the metamorphosis of our little caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly was quite the experience- especially with the little ones to share my enthusiasm in the wonder of it all!! The changes in the chrysalis were almost imperceptible until Saturday night when I noticed it darkening and decided to move it into our netted 'butterfly pavilion' just in case the butterfly(affectionately named 'George Washington' by L and 'Queen Lily' by G!!) made his/her grand appearance while we were not home.When we woke up on Sunday morning , I knew that our butterfly was coming soon! The chrysalis had changed dramatically overnight from its bright green color to a transparent covering...we could now see the dark underside of the butterfly's wings. I had read that most often they emerge between 8-10 in the morning and I remembered that 5 years ago when we did this, the butterfly emerged in the morning when I was vacuuming. It was a coincidence I'm sure, but the floor needed a quick pick me up so I decided to vacuum the room the pavilion hung in hoping the noise might 'scare it out'....still no butterfly. The 4 littles were all dressed for church and wanting to meet their new friend before we left!
Next, we prayed that if God wanted us to witness this miracle of nature, that He would allow it to happen in the next 15 minutes since we had to leave for church...still no butterfly. Then the kids put on a "Gospel song" video and sang and danced their little hearts out...this probably scared that little critter into staying right where he was! So, without a butterfly sighting, off to church we went....
When we arrived home after church, the kids frantically bounded out of the van and into the family room... George Washington/ Queen Lily had arrived!! The 4 littles were so excited-jumping up and down, shouting...it was quite the celebration!...Mercy kept saying, "God's creation is so cool...I can not stop thinking about it!!"
On that first day, we were all able to hold it. We put some flowers and a paper towel soaked in sugar water on the floor of the pavilion hoping to witness the butterfly use its straw-like probiscus to drink the sweet water/nectar.
We kept him until Thursday when I noticed it (he/she?) was beginning to flutter about quite a bit in the pavilion - a sure sign that it was time to set it free. L was quite concerned and came to me..."I need to talk to you about something...I'm afraid the butterfly will be too cold and die when we let him go...can we pray?" So, after assuring my deep thinking tearful little man that God would take care of 'George', I prayed with him and that seemed to ease his little heart. We unzipped the pavilion and away 'George/Lily' fluttered onto a high branch on our butterfly bush. We watched him for a few minutes before he flew away.
Enjoying this visible reminder of God's handiwork made me ponder His control over all things. I could obviously take no credit as this tiny caterpillar changed before our very eyes... I was faithful to feed it milkweed but even then, it was God who provided the very sustenance/ the only food this creature needed to survive. It is the work of a powerful all knowing God who sovereignly orchestrates the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a gorgeous butterfly while sustaining the universe and caring intimately about us, His children. Amazingly,He is a God of the details-even knowing the number of hairs on our heads. It is mind boggling, isn't it?? This is so comforting to know as I contemplate the hearts of our 6 children. Yes, we must be faithful to nurture, instruct, train , admonish and encourage them but it is HE who will bring forth the fruit in their lives. He is the ONE who will change their hearts and transform them into trophies of His grace. And, Lord willing, when fruit does come forth, we can not receive any of the credit.... it is ALL a work of His amazing grace and He deserves all the glory. So, just as the miracle of transformation was imperceptible as that caterpillar remained in its bright green chrysalis, I must not grow discouraged when it appears from the outside that nothing is happening in the hearts of our children (or my own sin-filled heart!) Ultimately, a new creation was brought forth--without any help from me - and likewise, I trust that so it will be in the lives of our children :) Incidentally, Mama K also had a monarch chrysalis sitting on her kitchen counter (a mutual friend found all of the caterpillars on milkweed at our church property so several of us were doing this simultaneously). She was wondering if perhaps something was wrong since her caterpillar formed its chrysalis the same day as ours but had not yet emerged. Sure enough, it transformed eventually...again a reminder that God is at work regardless of what appears to be happening on the outside. Oh, how challenging it can be to be patient and wait on God's perfect timing ....praying that He will help me to remember this picture when I am tempted to doubt He is at work!! What a hope filled promise is contained in the verse below!!
And I am sure of this that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6
Thanks for reading this lengthy post!
So grateful for His wondrous works!~
Love,Mama B.
Philippians 1:6
Now onto some household happenings:
**Last Saturday while Daddy and the kiddos were working outside, I was ironing ( my least favorite chore that gets attention very rarely!) and listening to a parenting cd a friend had loaned me. On it, a panel of moms were describing some difficult times with their strong willed children...one mom imitated the demands of her 3 year old son just as Odesco was coming in for a drink- he looked at me incredulously and said, " Mommy that tape is not honoring God because he is not asking for food the right way!" I got a good chuckle over that and then saw this amazing evidence of God's grace in our little boy's heart...that he would even recognize this as inappropriate is quite significant because just 9 months ago, he could have been that little demanding fellow on the tape!
** Yesterday Mercy had her first play date ever :)!! We were at our friend's the L's house for coop and Mercy was playing so nicely with their little girl that when it was time to go, she was invited to stay for the remainder of the afternoon and dinner. We have been trying to get a date on the calendar for Hannah to come to our house for a play date but it just didn't happen yet so this was a big surprise and a wonderful positive consequence for Mercy's good behavior. I was able to help her see that she was enjoying God's favor because of her obedience and choosing to honor Him. When I went to pick her up at 8:30, she reminded me of Tigger as she practically bounced her way to the car. She was bubbling over with joy and she talked non-stop all the way home telling me all about her wonderful time at Hannah's house. My mommy heart was so full as I listened to her babble on and on- a few times she would pause just to say, "I had so much fun- I just can not stop thinking about it!!" How precious to see her growing in friendships and really digging her roots down deep in the soil God has planted her in! A special thank you to the L's for opening your hearts and home to our little girl!
** We made it through week 2 of Homeschooler's Day Out with no major incidents...only little reminders here and there (ie: please take the rhythm sticks out of your nostrils!!(really!!) but no meltdowns...Hooray!! To God be the glory great things He has done!!
**Last Saturday while Daddy and the kiddos were working outside, I was ironing ( my least favorite chore that gets attention very rarely!) and listening to a parenting cd a friend had loaned me. On it, a panel of moms were describing some difficult times with their strong willed children...one mom imitated the demands of her 3 year old son just as Odesco was coming in for a drink- he looked at me incredulously and said, " Mommy that tape is not honoring God because he is not asking for food the right way!" I got a good chuckle over that and then saw this amazing evidence of God's grace in our little boy's heart...that he would even recognize this as inappropriate is quite significant because just 9 months ago, he could have been that little demanding fellow on the tape!
** Yesterday Mercy had her first play date ever :)!! We were at our friend's the L's house for coop and Mercy was playing so nicely with their little girl that when it was time to go, she was invited to stay for the remainder of the afternoon and dinner. We have been trying to get a date on the calendar for Hannah to come to our house for a play date but it just didn't happen yet so this was a big surprise and a wonderful positive consequence for Mercy's good behavior. I was able to help her see that she was enjoying God's favor because of her obedience and choosing to honor Him. When I went to pick her up at 8:30, she reminded me of Tigger as she practically bounced her way to the car. She was bubbling over with joy and she talked non-stop all the way home telling me all about her wonderful time at Hannah's house. My mommy heart was so full as I listened to her babble on and on- a few times she would pause just to say, "I had so much fun- I just can not stop thinking about it!!" How precious to see her growing in friendships and really digging her roots down deep in the soil God has planted her in! A special thank you to the L's for opening your hearts and home to our little girl!
** We made it through week 2 of Homeschooler's Day Out with no major incidents...only little reminders here and there (ie: please take the rhythm sticks out of your nostrils!!(really!!) but no meltdowns...Hooray!! To God be the glory great things He has done!!
Thanks for reading this lengthy post!
So grateful for His wondrous works!~
Love,Mama B.
No comments:
Post a Comment