Two Faithful Caterpillars

The unexpected loss of two friends yesterday stirred an emotional fitful sleep but as I finally rested in the peace of Christ, I dreamed,  and from that dream I found comfort in it’s analogy. So here I share it with you my friends,  as you too, walk the path set before you – it’s joys and it’s tears.  

    I dreamed last night of two beautiful fuzzy caterpillars. I watched them faithfully plod along the path set before them. They traversed the wet thick grass and the stony hot ground; they climbed straight up the slippery leaves, and triumphantly crawled over barriers of debris. Always moving up and over the most difficult of terrain, always moving forward – side by side, without hesitation on this journey of life. Then, as the sun rose on one “set apart” morning they woke to a “suddenly” in their short lives.

     Today there would be no pushing forward.   Today the journey had changed. The sun’s warmth, shining upon them, stirred something within as they rose slowly on the gentle breathe of a breeze. Together, they looked below at the path they had traveled. It looked so different from above. That journey – that yesterday life, had been so full of wonder as they had fully lived each new day,  but in an instant it was new. They now had been transformed – from a caterpillar to a butterfly. A transformation that now allowed them to rise high above; to walk into a new eternal home where the caterpillar journey of short duration would now be used for an eternal purpose as a butterfly.

     We too, will someday be transformed from this life to a more glorious eternal one. We know not when or how that will come to pass, but in faith, we daily walk out our journey – plodding along the path set before us, traversing the thick, hot, slippery terrain we call life. We live each new day fully, and in faith we slowly, faithfully move forward toward the ultimate prize – our own “suddenly” where in that one moment the sun will warm us and we will rise on the breeze – to look below at what no longer will matter. For in that instant, our eternal journey will have begun.

“I’ll See You Soon!”

Saying good-bye is never easy – if it’s for a few months, a few years or for eternity.

The hardest is the eternal good-bye!

I look today at grief and loss of a loved one, not in a morbid depressed way but with eternal eyes.

Having lost many family members and currently grieving the loss of my brother I think – today – not of my loss but of their gain. As we shed this tent, this earthly body we receive an immortal, imperishable one that when received allows entry into a place where “no pain” exists, where freedom of earthly limitations reigns, where we can eternally walk in peace – no burdens to think of or carry; an eternal place where the presence of Jesus is our very breathe.

My heart is heavy and tears overwhelm me – but I know that to be absent here means to be present with the Lord. My faith in Christ is my solid foundation – I know that neither life nor death will separate us from the love of God.

So with a thankful heart I remember that the three most important heartfelt words “I Love You!” were spoken between us. These three words are the most enduring truth that we can hope for in this life.

There is a time we all must say good-bye, a time when our eternal assignment here is complete, a time when these bodies wear out, a time when “It is finished” must be spoken.

If we can approach death – its grief and loss – its eternal good-bye similar to when we see a loved one off on an extended trip; with farewell words – I’ll see you soon; then with anticipation of that reunion we can overcome despondency – knowing this good-bye is only temporary and eternity awaits.

So to you my brother – “I’ll See You Soon”.

 

Romans 8:38   II Corinthians 5:1-8  (ESV)