Dragonfly

It so happens that I was gifted a vintage, iridescent dragonfly broach recently by an old friend—a collector of fine art and jewelry. I hadn’t done a thing to deserve such an extravagant surprise, although my friend insists that it was merely repayment for my kindness. I told my friend there’s not a price for kindness, but they sent me the pin anyway. They told me that, in their experience, kindness is rare, and instances of it should be treasured. I cherish the gesture, even though I am so very sad that my friend has known more harshness than heart, more trauma than tenderness.

My friend has been unburdening from some events of the past, and in doing so, has been discovering bits of grace and goodness. Like a dragonfly, my friend is surfacing from an existence spent underwater and emerging, changed, into their true self—beautiful, colorful, fearless.

Dragonflies have remarkable eyes that allow them to see in almost all directions simultaneously. With such clarity, with such awareness of where they are relative to every other object around them, they dart through the atmosphere at high speeds with utter confidence. Even though they come from murky marshes where their worldview may be shaped by shadows, once they have come through metamorphosis, their wings give them flight, and their refocused vision gives them freedom.

Transformation is the very center of a life lived in faith. For those of us who pursue what Jesus Christ has to offer, the butterfly provides a vivid symbol of the process: life to death to New Life.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEB)

But we sometimes err on the side of understanding this to be only a matter of physical death resulting in heavenly residency. Transformation encompasses so much more! It has to do with growing and flourishing into our full selves, our authentic selves in this life. So often this means identifying and then leaving behind in the murky marsh those criticisms, judgements and hurts that stunt growth. It means being able to at least glimpse the wonder that comes with breaking free so that we can begin to maneuver confidently. It is a remarkable blessing to be assured that resurrection into fresh hopefulness is a daily celebration, not merely an end-of-life achievement.

I find myself wondering these days if it is possible for not only individual people, but for a whole society to undergo a metamorphosis that results in all of humanity knowing the marvels of kindness and inclusion and equality and graciousness. It is a fanciful flight of imagination to consider, and yet, it is possible for a 1 ½ -inch Globe Skimmer dragonfly to wing its way across an entire ocean. If that can happen, why could it not also happen that all people would find acceptance under the rainbow-tinted sky?

Whatever is lovely, think on these things.

Pastor Chris