Entertaining Angels
Butterflies and Life Transformations
“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” -Hebrews 13:2
Raising butterflies is like entertaining Angels.
I thought about this after being given a hands on opportunity to see a passion of one of the UGM shelter guests in action. She had bought a bunch of Monarch Butterfly caterpillars to raise and release for the resident women and children. She told me that the whole process was a significant picture of life. I couldn’t agree more. It takes hearts of faith to believe that such miracles can happen right before our eyes. That caterpillars can transform into butterflies.
Showing hospitality to women in the midst of life transitions takes similar faith. It’s easy to mistake the “strangers” as merely women caught in difficult circumstances, prisoners of addictions, victims of cycles of abuse, trauma or impoverishment.
It takes faith to believe that there are Angels being entertained. Women that are going to enter a transformative process in their lives.
Like caterpillars, this process can be difficult to discern. Life is mysterious in its unfolding. All caterpillars go through a step called Chrysalis, it’s a protected stage of development within the transformation of a butterfly. A chrysalis is a hard exoskeleton, which separates it from the soft, silky cocoon of a moth.
Life change happens differently for many species. It’s challenging to make a judgement about what is exactly happening when observing nature. Is something dying or is something being born? Can life emerge from death? Can death give birth to life?
Can something be buried and come alive? Yes, but it’s easy to mistakenly assume many different outcomes if one isn’t aware of the power of life.
Nature itself retells this truth thousands of different ways every cycle of seasons. The gospel in nature can be seen and heard all around us and even within us if someone has eyes to see and ears to hear.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” -2 Corinthians 5:17
This chrysalis process presents itself as a hard shell in one stage. Outwardly the beauty within that’s emerging is hidden. The work being done isn’t obvious outside because it’s happening on the inside.
It would be easy to judge by the uninteresting shell that nothing was changing, but the truth is that a radical new expression of life is awakening inside.
Death isn’t beautiful. The old is dying and it doesn’t look, sound or smell good. It’s often painful and private. Only those who can love well, attend such transitions in a manner that dignifies the cycle of life. Some people fear it, others want to deny it, some seek to end it quickly, believing there’s nothing valuable in tending it.
The mystery of mysteries is how death and life often look and sound very similar. If you’ve ever witnessed the miracle of birth, you know that it’s terrifyingly beautiful. A woman comes to the brink of death itself to give life. The carnage testifies. Yet, to those who midwife life, they know the tremors and terrors are transitional signs of something hidden on the inside is about to make its self known. New life, a new person, is emerging and it doesn’t happen quietly.
When life happens the old, hard shell, or the soft placenta are no longer returned to as the real self. They are homes discarded, signs of what was, not what is now. To return to the old stages of life would be unthinkable. There’s no going back, life takes foot or wing, forward.
This is true for the spiritual life as well.
Romans 6:4-7, 11-13
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
“…now we also may live new lives.”
The choice is ours. Before Christ we had no choice, now because of His life and power we can choose to live out this new life through Christ.
There are Angels among us and those who have eyes, ears, hearts and hands to serve will witness beautiful and sometimes terrifying transformations.
Life would have it no other way.
Artist: Litvinova Julia



My daughter has been reborn from addiction to a strong, loving woman, mother and friend. She's gone from a disbelief in God to conviction that there is a higher power. Your synopsis was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.