A meaningful lesson from monarch butterflies

During the summer of 2022, our neighborhood experienced such significant damage due to flash floods that it merited a response from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Inspired by a Monitor article about native plants, our family began exploring how we could help with water remediation in our local community by making changes to our own yard (see Ure Ori Okike, “‘This isn’t just weeds’: Native gardens are repairing local ecosystems,” Aug. 19, 2021).

Blessing upon blessing unfolded as we applied for and received a grant to install native flowers and shrubs in our backyard. They attracted butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other birds in droves! The greatest blessing was a healing metaphor and experience that came from this.

One hot day after the completion of the backyard renovation, one of our daughters, whom I’ll call Ashley, spotted a light green monarch chrysalis hanging by a thread. We looked around and noticed more and more chrysalises. Wow! Each one was adorned with a delicate line of gold dots around the upper part. We were amazed! Over the course of a week, we watched the chrysalises become more transparent, and then the pupas hatched into butterflies and took flight.

The monarchs became a metaphor to our family, a reminder to trust God and to acknowledge that spiritual growth is always happening, even when it may not look like it.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of The Church of Christ, Scientist, and of The Christian Science Monitor, wrote, “In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 74).

The natural state of all of God’s children is one of freedom. With God, Spirit, as our Maker, we are spiritual – not limited mortals. Science and Health answers the question, “What is man?” in this clear way: “He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas; ...” (p. 475).

That’s it! We include all of the goodness of our divine heritage, and nothing that is not good is truly part of us. We are each integral to God’s infinite self-expression, and our heritage is one of completeness and harmony. Nothing can hold us back from our inherent freedom – not trauma, natural disaster, conflict, or worry. Those things do not stem from God, good.

This spiritual heritage is revealed to us by Christ – God’s message of love, which Jesus demonstrated and which unfolds hope and healing each day. We can take new steps with courage and with the divine assurance that we are built to progress and that we are always sustained by God.

These ideas led to a breakthrough moment for Ashley, who – despite swimming lessons and almost daily trips to the pool – still wasn’t strong enough to launch out into the deeper waters. This worried my husband and me. It was also discouraging for Ashley.

I prayed to see and know that our Father-Mother God guides each one of Her children. Everyone has a direct relationship to God. We all have what it takes to shed limitations and to more fully live our natural state of joy and freedom.

My prayers awakened a new perspective for me. Just as nothing would stop those monarchs from ultimately moving out of their chrysalis-encased state, Ashley’s natural progress was also assured.

This hymn reminded me that we come complete:

Forget not who you are, O child of God,
     For God demands of you reflection pure;
Your heritage is goodly, and your home,
     In Spirit’s warm embrace, is safe, secure.

...

Of royal birth, you are a King’s own child –
     And God is yours, and you are God’s alway.
(Mildred Spring Case, “Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430-603,” No. 475, alt. © CSBD)

These ideas weren’t just nice, they were also practical, reminding me that God is the forever Parent of everyone. God inspires purposeful action, thought, and being at each moment.

I continued praying with these ideas, and one night at an end-of-summer pool party, I watched as Ashley happily and freely swam in the deep end without a flotation device. By the end of the night, she was playing with her big sister in the deep end and even jumped fearlessly off the diving board.

What a joy to daily bask in the fact that when we let God guide our steps, progress is assured, and we find that we truly are created to be free.