Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” (John 5: 17 NIV)
Not again. Hour after hour I knelt on my patio floor to examine the small butterfly cage which held two Monarch caterpillars. One hung from the top which signaled it was preparing to form a chrysalis. The second larva crawled along the side with tiny black legs.
As day turned into evening, the brightly striped caterpillar darkened. His long body began compressing into a smaller version. He hung up-side-down but his head struggled to look upward.
The plastic top of the cage blurred my view but hour after hour I went onto my patio to see its progress. I longed to watch the larva spin a small, green chrysalis around its body. Before bed, I made one last trip outside. Nothing had changed.
Just after dawn, I walked to my porch and looked down at the butterfly cage. A green chrysalis hung tightly to the cage. I missed the miracle of transformation. Perhaps the little critter didn’t want to be watched as he wrapped his body into a chrysalis.
Even though I missed the conversion from larva to pupa eighteen times, I marveled at the results of metamorphosis every time. The beauty and intricacy of God’s creation filled me with wonder and awe.
His miracles occur all around me. Seeds become exquisite flowers. Bare cypress trees fill out in waves of green. Eagles lay eggs and hatch tiny reproductions of themselves. I don’t observe the entire process of those changes either but the results astonish me.
Before Alan died, people prayed for his healing. When the doctor predicted six months of life for him, Alan continued living. For two months, he organized, planned and scheduled an array of things so I wouldn’t have to. He shared his faith with friends, family and even the man who brought oxygen to our house. During that time, I watched him move toward heaven as his faith grew.
Only later, did I realize how much he prepared for his journey to heaven and for me to live without him. Because he died knowing he would be with Jesus, I also had peace and strength to get through my time of grief.
Over and over, God has placed people in my life who are grieving so I can comfort them. During his final months, I didn’t realize all the changes in Alan or myself. When I look back, I can see how God orchestrated another miracle.
Dear Father, thank you for loving us and teaching us even when we don’t see it. You are constantly performing miracles. Help us notice small and big ones every day. Amen
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