Why Crawl When I Can Fly

"For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn't this what the Scriptures speak of? Isn't this what we've all been longing for?" -Francis Chan

I have been reading Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan. I am only in the beginning chapters, but I have been blown away by some of these simple word pictures. I am a visual person so this analogy of the caterpillar and the butterfly really sunk deep for me. Why is it that so many of us Christians live life exactly the same way as those that do not have the Holy Spirit in them? Sometimes many of those who do not have the Spirit actually seem happier and more at peace with life. How is this even possible? Is it because we can sometimes ignore Him? I think the Holy Spirit wants to intercede in our lives a lot more then we will let Him. In fact when I think about it I have a Counselor who is just like Christ who stands beside me everywhere I go and is giving me flawless direction in my life. How cool is that?! Reading this book makes me want to consistently live each day with an awareness of the Holy Spirit's strength. So, why keep crawling like a caterpillar when I have been given the ability to fly.

When was the last time you saw the Spirit at work in you?