Skin Julia is our “critter gitt’r” at the Kale house. She will chase down lizards, catch jumping frogs, and hunt a grasshopper. She even recently grabbed a gray rat snake by tail and held it up to the amusement and horror of her friends. She has handled legless lizards, crawfish, bugs, worms, and salamanders. She loves gathering encountering all things wild and was deeply disappointed that she didn’t see the black bear in the neighborhood that the rest of us saw while I was grilling the other day. However, she did experience a real miracle in the critter world that is worth sharing. This past week, she discovered the brown skin of a cicada. Unlike the usual husks left behind by it’s former wearer, this skin still had the live bug inside. It was a pupa that had emerged from it’s earthen tunnel and had attached itself to the base of a nearby tree as it prepared to molt. Julia carefully removed it from the bark and placed it inside the screened observation box that she kept for just such an occasion. That evening after dinner she told us that she was hoping the cicada would break free during that night. We hoped she would be patient, but found ourselves sharing in her excitement. The next morning at breakfast, Julia came running to the table with her screen box in hand. Lo and behold! The cicada had shed it’s skin! The old shell had a vertical slit and was a translucent brown. Only a few inches away, was a much brighter, bigger, and beautiful bug (if bugs could be called beautiful, this one was!). It was a very cool experience. As I have thought about the cicada, I began to wrestle with an idea I have always held dear. I have always been convicted that we need to be comfortable in our own skin. I have encouraged people to come to terms with their identity. So often we struggle in life because we haven’t learned how to be true to ourselves and I have responded by reaching out with acceptance and encouragement to those who are just becoming aware of who they really are. However, this little cicada has taught me that perhaps we don’t ALL need be comfortable in our own skin ALL the time. Perhaps we need to shed our skin when it doesn’t fit anymore. The newly emerged cicada was larger than its old shell. There wasn’t room for growth, flight, or the new life that this beautiful creature needed. Its old skin just didn’t fit anymore. It was fine for the years of life it spent underground, but now it needed a new home, a new diet, and new skin. It responded by bursting forth from its old shell into a new look complete with wings! Once it shed its skin, it could fly! This miracle of life has taught me that maybe we could all emerge from our shells at least once in our lifetime. This week I want to encourage you to have the faith of a child that can see potential. Maybe your friend doesn’t have wings….yet! Maybe your kids haven’t bloomed….yet! Maybe your marriage hasn’t emerged from the underground...yet! Maybe your job hasn’t given you the opportunity to fly...yet! Surround yourself with people who believe in you. Find a safe place to molt with those who are as excited as you are to see you prosper. If you have been grounded for a long time, maybe now is the time for you to shed your old skin and discover your wings. Take a lesson from the cicada and emerge from your old shell! The next time you see one of their little skins hanging on a pine tree, remember that maybe you need to take that next step in your life, too. Love one. Love another. Jack
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:22:52 +0000
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