by Jenny Sanders, Author and Speaker

Have you ever seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? Nature is amazing! A butterfly looks completely different from a caterpillar. It seems like a brand new creature; that’s because it goes through a massive change. The caterpillar hides inside a chrysalis for two to four weeks before it breaks out and emerges, totally transformed.

The butterfly becomes strong by pushing its way out of that chrysalis. If you try to help it by taking the outer covering off, it may never be able to fly because it won’t have grown strong enough. That struggle is what makes it the beautiful creature it is.

Transformation

When we come into God’s family, we’re transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says we’re ‘a new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). There’s an instant heart change which happens from the inside out; but there are other character changes that God has in mind for us.

Ultimately God wants to make us more like Jesus (Romans 8:29) and that’s a life-long process. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight; it would be so much easier if we were instantly transformed to perfection! However, we wouldn’t have much to say to the world around us if that were the case.

Strengthening faith

One of the ways we become stronger in our faith is by facing difficulties in life. God didn’t cause them, but He allows some of them so that we learn to listen more carefully to Him and walk through them in step with Him, knowing that He is right there beside us however bleak things may be for a while. Like the butterfly strengthening its wings, we strengthen our faith as we use it in our particular situation, choosing to keep trusting God.

If we only know about Jesus without really knowing Him as our friend and Saviour, it won’t be a life-giving relationship. We’ll just have head knowledge, not lived experience, which will prove to be terribly disappointing. I know about some celebrities, but I don’t really know them myself; we’re not friends who chat and laugh or visit one another.

God invites us to come and share life fully with Him, to feast with Him at a table He has prepared (Psalm 23:5) where we have an assigned, named seat. He wants us to be close to Him there every day so that we can talk to Him, listen to Him and get to know Him better. Sometimes life serves us dishes, or circumstances, which are difficult – they’re bitter and sour – but God still wants to be with us, or to share that ‘meal’ with us.

Developing authentic faith

I wrote about this in my book, Spiritual Feasting (2020). It includes questions to help you think more deeply about this topic. There are some biblical examples of people who were served things in their lives which were deeply challenging: Abraham, Joseph, Gideon, Naomi, Hannah and Job. They each had a choice to press in and press on with God, or to turn their back on Him. They all chose well. It’s easy to ask God to make bad things stop, or remove us from them, but walking through dark valleys with Him takes real courage.

Some of my friends were brave enough to share their own stories of intensely difficult times too: testimonies of bereavement, illness, abandonment and grief. They also had to choose how they reacted and, because of the good choices they made, they’ve all grown in their love for Jesus. Perhaps their stories will help you too.

Polished Arrows (2024) explores this theme from a different angle. Isaiah 49:2 describes God as an arrowsmith who takes a stick and crafts it into a lethal arrow – a weapon that can make real impact in enemy territory. That’s also a process of change as the stick is broken from the old tree, the bark is stripped off, the rough parts are sanded, a notch (or nock) cut in one end before it’s oiled. Finally, the arrowhead and fletchings (feathers) are added and bound tightly with the whipping cord, which is a picture of suffering or difficulty.

God is shaping our character just as a craftsman shapes an arrow so we can be ‘fired’ with impact into our culture and context. The cord binds it all together so that the arrow travels smoothly, giving the weapon integrity.

While they’re working on it, arrowsmiths fix the arrow in a jig – a special tool that holds it tight and safe, protecting it from damage, just as God holds us securely in His hands. We can’t slip out.

I want to be an arrow that’s ready to be fired, or sent, wherever God wants me to make a difference in the world.

Keep on being filled

Whether you think of becoming more like Jesus as becoming a butterfly, eating a meal that’s far from your favourite or becoming an arrow, it’s all about asking the Holy Spirit to keep working on us and in us to accomplish that. We can meet with Him every day and ask Him to fill us up to the top so that we overflow with Jesus wherever we go.

In a different genre

If you are looking for a good book for 7-11 year-olds, you’ll know that there’s a real mix on the market. I worked in a primary school where the choices were quite dull and dark; my humorous stories allow the creative imaginations of this age group to flourish and provide an opportunity for them to escape from some of the serious things they have to contend with. The Magnificent Moustache and other stories, and, Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories are collections of six short stories full of ‘quirky characters and an abundance of welcome nonsense.’ [NB: pumpkins here are vegetables, unrelated to Halloween.]

While Jesus isn’t mentioned, you’ll find redemptive themes, grace and laughter throughout.

If you, your children or someone you know needs some light relief or space for their imagination to take flight, these could be a perfect fit.