It is that time of year when the Monarch butterflies in our area begin their five-week migration from the north to their overwinter sites in Florida and Mexico. The life of a Monarch starts out as a tiny egg, typically laid on the underside of a milkweed leaf. Once the egg hatches into a little caterpillar, it will begin eating and growing. The caterpillar then goes through 5 instar stages, molting between each stage as it grows to 2000 times its beginning weight. At this point, the caterpillar will hang upside down in a J shape for 12 to 16 hours before splitting open to reveal a chrysalis. About two weeks later, the adult Monarch will emerge. While most butterflies live only 2 to 6 weeks, the 4th generation of Monarchs is called the Methuselah generation, and they can live up to 8 months. These special butterflies will not only migrate south, but they will overwinter there and then begin the trek back to Michigan. Scientists are still trying to figure out how Monarchs are able to successfully accomplish these incredible changes.
We too are in the middle of some incredible changes. “Are things ever going to get back to normal?” Someone asked me the other day. Honestly, I don’t think so. Things have changed. Change is one of the constants of human existence, and there is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our world dramatically and quite quickly. Before the pandemic, a person’s vaccination status was not a question that employers and friends usually asked. Before March of 2020, it was rare to see anyone with a face mask on, outside of a hospital setting. Over the past year and a half, there have been so many changes and so many recommendations that taken all together, it has completely changed who we are and how we think about things. We are different people. We have been changed, just as certainly as caterpillars change into butterflies.
While we may not have chosen to change because of the pandemic, through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can accept those changes and incorporate them beneficially into our lives. The changes that come with a pandemic can strengthen our spirits. 2 Cor. 5:17 reminds us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Perhaps the pandemic has awakened you to how precious and short life can be. Perhaps you have been changed with a new appreciation for hospital staff and for the miracle of vaccinations. Could it be that this pandemic has tuned your heart to be more sensitive to the health and well being of others? May our love of Christ, our love of others and love for ourselves increase with these pandemic changes while the Monarchs begin their journey to their winter home.
Article in Rockford Squire Newspaper 9/23/2021
