A Caterpillar’s Garden

Driven by instinct, she begins her migration south from Wyoming, always looking for a caterpillar’s garden along the way. She spends her days traveling and nights roosting in trees with fellow monarch butterflies. Her ultimate destination for the winter, always via Central Texas, is Mexico.

She knows a caterpillar’s garden is the perfect place to lay her eggs. In a caterpillar’s garden, there is ample supply of milkweed, the one plant uniquely designed to provide food for growing caterpillars and nutrients for the process of transforming into the next generation of monarch butterfly.

What are you feeding yourself?

Driven by the need to feel accepted, she opens her social media app. Her emotions travel like a roller coaster from laughter to sadness at every post. As she scrolls, her attitude darkens and doubts about her appearance, social status, family associations, and abilities rise. But she has a hard time resisting the urge to continue, feeling it is necessary for her survival.

What Jesus said

Driven by his life purpose, Jesus had been alone and fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was hungry. “During that time, the devil came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Food for Thought

If we want to grow and mature, we need to feed ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually, with specific things. A nutritious variety of whole foods for our bodies. Images from reading, music, and movies that empower us with a positive attitude and self-image. A solid connection to God, learning His life-instructions from the Bible, leading us to bear the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Through these actions we can cultivate our “caterpillar garden.” We want to feed the life we want: transformation into something beautiful!

“Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” Matthew 4:4 MSG

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 NLT