"God that made the world and all things therein... giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." Acts 17:24. 25.
When a butterfly looks for a place to lay its eggs, it will select a spot on, or very close to, a plant that the hatched caterpillar will like to eat. God has given it wisdom to know just what the little ones will eat, even though the butterfly itself does not eat anything.
When the egg hatches, what a surprise to the observer! It might be that he expected a baby butterfly to appear. But no, it is a little caterpillar that comes out. In spite of its small size, it has strong jaws and will spend its life eating leaves, fruit, or small plants, much to the dismay of gardeners. Four times in its life, its skin will become too tight, split open and drop off. A new skin will have already formed underneath, to replace it.
Many caterpillars are eaten by birds, but the one that fools this enemy is the swallowtail. When it is aware of a bird looking at it with greedy eyes, it turns over on its back and two large imitation eyes appear, so he then looks just like a snake. The frightened bird flies away. Do you suppose the caterpillar learned this by practicing, or by painting the "snake eyes" on itself? No, this means of escape was provided by the Creator when caterpillars were first created and passed on by Him to all following generations.
The time comes, usually at summer's end, for a great change in its life. An inner urge tells it to stop eating and prepare for cold weather. It does this by first weaving a net of silk around itself. Then it spreads a liquid all over this new oval home (called a chrysalis), which becomes hard and shiny, as though coated with shellac. These are usually golden colored, although there are other colors, too, and each is camouflaged to be hidden in its surroundings. The caterpillar (now called a pupa) stays totally quiet inside and remains that way through the cold winter.
But a miracle is taking place inside this shiny chrysalis. When it finally opens, a full-grown butterfly comes out, spreads its wings and flies off on an entirely new life. Its diet now will be limited to the nectar of flowers and blossoms, sipping it with a long, hollow tongue. When not in use, this coils up inside its mouth, like a watch spring.
Most butterflies are brightly colored, including the lovely monarch. Another very pretty one is the painted lady, which makes long migrations between Africa and Iceland. In the jungles of Central and South America, there are more beauties, an outstanding one being the blue morpha. Color markings of each species are always the same, because God has instructed them to reproduce "after their kind," and they never get mixed up.
The life of these interesting creatures is a reminder that God invites us to also make changes in our natural lives. We come into the world with natures that are selfish and sinful. But God has provided a way for us to be "born again" through the death of Christ on Calvary's cross. When we accept Him as Lord and Savior, we are brought into "newness of life... dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:4,11. Have you made this important change in your life?