There comes a point in the life of ALL living things that we must shed off our old skin, in order to continue to grow properly or develop fully. I am reminded of this when I see God's creatures molting and changing. The snakes shed their skin, crayfish and lobsters shed their whole body down to the legs, yet their "new body" seems to always be bolder, brighter, and bigger than the old one left behind, In nature, many animals have to "get rid" of something or change something in order to grow properly. The beautiful butterfly comes from a plain-jane cocoon, where a creepy-crawly caterpillar had once lain down his head, finally satisfied from his feeding frenzy. Birds molt old feathers out, in exchange for fresh new ones, and animals with fur lose the old, in exchange for a much softer coat.
In life, spiritually and physically-speaking, we must change to grow, and the process of that change is almost-never easy or convenient for us. It hurts. Change hurts. Transformation hurts. It is a painful but necessary action we as living creatures must take to get from what we are to what we need to be. God created every creature I can think of to change from time to time, and all animals seem to do it naturally and willingly, except us humans. Unlike reptiles or crustaceans, we don't seem to readily recognize when we should shed our dull and itchy skin or make a change in our lives when we become stale in our physical and spiritual bodies. Instead, we human beings try to identify an external factor that is causing the hindrances we face, because, surely, nothing is wrong with us, our minds tell us. Life here on this Earth isn't easy, and it's even harder when we resist the change that is necessary to keep our bodies and souls running at peak performance. Yes, change may hurt for a bit, but have you ever seen a butterfly that was not as or more beautiful than the drab cocoon it squeezed itself from, or a snake that didn't grow larger than the old skin it fought its way out of? That's how change is...it hurts, but it's necessary and transforms us into more of the "end result" we were meant to be in the first place.
You see, only God Almighty knows where he wants all of his creatures to end up, and only He can offer us methods of change that get us to end up in the right place at the right time. His timing is perfect, and we tend to forget that we are not here for us, we are here for Him. God's got this! He knows where we are going. We only know where we are and where we've been. Seems a bit hard for most of us to let go of the fact that we truly cannot control our futures. We can make good choices, and make good friends along the way, we can do our best in all things, but we are not in control of the outcome, the way it all plays out. That's what makes us so different: humans and God.
In conclusion, all things must change. The seasons change, people change, circumstances change, families change, friends change, even the bugs and reptiles change. Everything in this life changes, except the One who created it all. We are His creations, and we are at His mercy to change us as He sees fit. As for myself, I will hold to His unchanging hand to guide me and show me where I need change in my life!
