

Wings of Strength
featuring the painting "Reborn"
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been fascinated by butterflies. I spent hours trying to catch them. I would sneak up, carefully cupping my hands over them so as not to hurt their delicate looking wings. Then I would slowly open my hands to see if I was successful.
Even today, butterflies still catch my eye and intrigue me. I love their colors. I admire their graceful …
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…beauty combined with agile quick movements. Butterflies bring back happy childhood memories for me. But it’s much more than all of this. When a butterfly flitters past me, it carries a message on its wings.
When we lived in Hawaii, I had a beautiful view out the window where I painted. I planted a mamakai to attract the indigenous Kahmehameha butterfly. I even painted this watercolor depicting both the indigenous plant and butterfly for the annual Hawaii Nei Art Exhibit.
While the swallowtails preferred our citrus trees, I began seeing monarch butterflies exploring my colorful jungle garden and singling out the tropical milkweed. I saw them laying eggs, and found hundreds of tiny striped caterpillars. Because the caterpillars would strip the plants bare, I grew extras in my greenhouse.
I came up with a brilliant plan. As the largest caterpillars polished off the last of the leaves, I transferred two of them to the plants I had waiting in the green house. My hope was that they would finish their last days eating and then form their chrysalis in the greenhouse, where I could see them hatch.
It worked! Within a day or two, I found them hanging in various places. I watched as they transformed from striped caterpillars into turquoise chrysalis’, flecked with gold. Then, I waited.
Caterpillars can only inch their way from plant to plant. But once they have wings, they appear to be having the time of their lives as they fly high and low, partaking of all the varieties of nectar in the garden, and enjoying the sunshine. But first they must go through a difficult bound-up experience.
Did you know that when a caterpillar forms its cocoon or chrysalis, it actually liquifies? I just learned that recently! Then, in what can only be a visual miracle from God, that liquid reforms into a butterfly! I can’t imagine anything that illustrates the beauty of transformation better than this.
Is life making you feel trapped right now, like you’re wrapped up in a cocoon and can’t get out? I can tell you, I’ve been there! In fact, as I write this today, I am there once again and I hate the feeling as much as you do. Adversities in life can feel like being caught in a giant spiderweb rolled up tight in sticky threads. Yuck!
But in that bound up state the caterpillar is transforming and when it emerges, it is more beautiful and free than it’s ever been. The message carried to me on a butterfly's wings is that these trials and troubles are not a spider web. They are a beautiful, gold-speckled turquoise chrysalis, and I will emerge more beautiful and free than I’ve ever been.
How do I know this? I know it from the words in Isaiah 40 in the Bible.
“He [God] never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless…
…those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles; …”
Isaiah 40:28,29,31 NLT
We are left weak and powerless when we are bound up by troubles. But we are promised that if we trust in the Lord, we will gain new strength and come out with wings, strong like eagles… graceful and agile like butterflies. This visual is encouraging and reassuring, even while I am being scrambled and liquified by the trials in my life.
When the butterflies in my greenhouse emerged, I dipped my fingertips in a little honey water. I was able to patiently encourage them to crawl onto my fingers as they stretched and strengthened their wings while enjoying the sweet nectar with their curly tongues. When they were ready, they flew off my hand and into the garden.
Later as I sat painting, I would see them flying past the window and eventually, laying eggs for the next round of baby caterpillars and transformation. What a wonder it was to experience this over and over.
Isaiah 40:32 ends with this:
“…they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” (NLT)
Not only is this visual of transformation true about the difficult and dark days of our lives here on earth, but there’s an eternal message here as well if we put our trust in Jesus. In our eternal life with him, we will no longer become weak or weary. Our tears will be wiped away. We will run care-free and without hesitation. That fills me with great hope!
Take a deep breath and hang on tight to the truth, like the caterpillar hangs on tight to a branch (or greenhouse netting) in the middle of its transformation. God is bringing about a beautiful, butterfly-type of transformation in you. You will find new strength and freedom in those beautiful wings of yours.
Has a neighbor, friend, or family member come up against difficult times too? You can use this story and these verses to encourage them as well. They need your reassurance that through this period of transformation they will come out at the other end more beautiful and free than they ever were. Imagine us all flying around, creating a beautiful field full of butterflies!
Quote: The message carried to me on a butterfly's wings is that these trials and troubles are not a spider web. They are a beautiful gold speckled, turquoise chrysalis, and I will emerge more beautiful and free than I’ve ever been.
The message carried to me on a butterfly's wings is that these trials and troubles are not a spider web. They are a beautiful gold speckled, turquoise chrysalis, and I will emerge more beautiful and free than I've ever been.
I was able to catch on camera, a butterfly hatching in my greenhouse. You can see it here or on the Art Lifting Hearts YouTube Channel in the “Rest Your Soul” playlist.
Did this story lift your heart?
If you’d like to share with me how this artwork and story has impacted you, you can use my contact form here. I’d love to hear from you.
The original painting and prints of "Reborn" are available at my artist website.
© 2025 Melanie Pruitt