{"id":4856,"date":"2025-09-02T10:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=4856"},"modified":"2025-09-02T10:41:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:41:02","slug":"metamorphosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/02\/metamorphosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Metamorphosis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>

Luna moths are spectacular.

Like North America\u2019s other giant silk moths, they\u2019re huge. Their wingspans can reach seven inches.

With lime green wings, fuzzy white bodies, and dramatically-colored eyespots (an apparent means of confusing potential predators), they definitely stand out. They\u2019re also night fliers \u2013 hence the name \u201cluna\u201d and their association with the moon. While two dozen butterflies have appeared on first class United States postage stamps, lunas are still the only moths to be so honored.

These delicate creatures are fairly common. But consider yourself lucky if you see one. They don\u2019t last very long.

The winged stage of a luna moth\u2019s life lasts only about seven days. While butterflies have mouth parts, lunas \u2013 like most other fully grown moths \u2013 are no longer equipped with mouths and stomachs. They cannot eat or drink, relying entirely on the energy they stored up as ravenous caterpillars.

So what does a luna moth do during those seven precious days?

It searches desperately for a mate. Since MothMatch.com is still on the drawing board, female lunas \u2013 who emerge from their cocoons carrying 200-400 unfertilized eggs \u2013 release volatile pheromones which males can detect at a distance of several miles.

After mating and egg-laying, all the chapters in a luna moth\u2019s story have been written. It\u2019s a beautiful, dramatic, but exceedingly short life.

Entomologists (insect specialists) describe the life stages of moths and butterflies as metamorphosis<\/em> \u2013 a Greek word that means \u201cchange of form.\u201d Lunas morph from eggs to larvae to pupae to green-winged beauties.

Followers of Jesus get to experience metamorphosis as well. But our final stage definitely lasts longer than seven days.

On the pages of the New Testament we meet a pair of Greek words, each of which describes an aspect of shape or form: schema<\/em> and morphe<\/em>.\u00a0

Schema,<\/em> from which we get the word \u201cschematic,\u201d represents the outer appearance.\u00a0Your schema<\/em> changes every day.\u00a0Your fingernails and your hair are just a little bit longer than this time yesterday, and it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re not wearing yesterday\u2019s wardrobe, either.\u00a0 \u00a0

Our culture, unfortunately, is obsessed with schematic impression management.\u00a0If you don\u2019t like your body shape, buy a gym membership.\u00a0If you\u2019re uneasy about your smile, try whitening strips.\u00a0If you want to dazzle the neighbors, let them see you sitting behind the wheel of a new convertible. \u00a0\u00a0

Most of us experienced middle school and high school as an ongoing schematic trial by fire.\u00a0Should we look cool, dress cool, and try to sit at the lunch table with the coolest kids, or refuse to play the game?

If the secular approach to life concerns one\u2019s outward form, the spiritual journey is all about morphe<\/em>.\u00a0Your morphe<\/em> represents your true identity and your inner self.\u00a0Your schema<\/em> may be in continual flux, but there\u2019s something about you that is unmistakably the Real You \u2013 something that an old acquaintance will recognize when you bump into each other on the street, even after not seeing each other for decades.\u00a0

Schematic change is inevitable and often superficial.\u00a0But the transformation of one\u2019s morphe<\/em> \u2013 \u201cmetamorphosis\u201d \u2013 is a monumentally big deal.\u00a0It is God\u2019s own work within our hearts.\u00a0

Change from the inside-out represents our hope of rebirth, of becoming new people, of growing deeper in the character of Christ.\u00a0

Schema<\/em> and morphe<\/em> come face to face in a famous Bible verse.\u00a0\u201cDo not conform [syschematizethe<\/em>] to the pattern of this world, but be transformed [metamorphousthe<\/em>] by the renewing of your mind.\u201d (Romans 12:2)\u00a0 J.P. Phillips provided this memorable translation: \u201cDon\u2019t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within.\u201d\u00a0

You can spend the last few weeks of summer trying to look better, conforming to the crowd, aiming to please the people you presume are always watching and judging.

Or you can opt for metamorphosis and let God have at you \u2013 allowing the Spirit to renew your mind through ongoing engagement with the Bible\u2019s unique presentation of the reality of Jesus.\u00a0

Luna moths get to revel in the joy of transformation for just one week.

We, on the other hand, get to know God and enjoy him forever.
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To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here Luna moths are spectacular. Like North America\u2019s other giant silk moths, they\u2019re huge. Their wingspans can reach seven inches. With lime green wings, fuzzy white bodies, and dramatically-colored eyespots (an apparent means of confusing potential predators), they definitely stand out. They\u2019re also night fliers \u2013 hence the name \u201cluna\u201d and their… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[994,236],"class_list":["post-4856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-conformity","tag-transformation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4858,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions\/4858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}