Metamorphosis

​Thoroughly enjoyed doing the group last night at Real Talk Recovery, folks were outstanding in their comments and in support of each other. To me, through the thousands of meetings we have done, this was one of the best.
It was titled from "Flaws To Flaw-Less" and in effect was all about a word with an awesome and appropriate definition:Metamorphosis. But the success of that meeting was forged in the hours before in the preparation when God, as he usually does, led me to deal with many of my own personal flaws, some of which had been resolved, and others that still remain. It was an eye opener to say the least, reminding me how far I had come, but that I still had a long way to go.
First the definition of that word: a change in the form or the nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means. And may I add from the promises of A.A.: sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly!
The Butterfly is the perfect example of what a recovering person has to go through as is the Apostle Peter (more on him later). There are 4 stages in the process of Metamorphosis for a Butterfly to emerge: 1. Egg - in its perfect state placed on a leaf to hatch. 2. Larva - it hatches, becomes a caterpillar and virtually becomes a total consumer of whatever in can consume including the leaf it was born on. Similar to what an addict will do, consume people, places and things without any thought of hesitation.
3. Then comes the Pupa or Cocoon stage when it is sheltered into a space where virtually everything about it changes, losing tissue, limbs and organs and transforms into a perspective butterfly under construction. You can see the similarity to a recovering person who needs the shelter of the process in order to be re-constructed and to eliminate many flaws that we used to survive.
4. Then comes that wonderful moment, when the Butterfly emerges in all of it's splendor from that cocoon, but there is still one step to go before it flies away. It's wings are stuck to it from being confined, and it needs to get the blood pumping toward those wings to fly.
Peter, having proven himself as an impetuous, overreactive, stubborn, and cowardly liar (not pulling any punches here), needed something more than spending three years with Jesus to get him going in the right direction - so he found himself in that cocoon, in the upper room with all of his like minded folks, and they all got a dose of God's Holy Spirit which completely changed their lives.
God pumped his blood into them, into Peter to set him free to fly, then he went out to preach the greatest sermon not by Jesus, and his Metamorphosis was complete. He went from a man with many flaws, to a man with many less flaws.
We have that same option if we are willing to let the process work!