Living in the Not Yet

“If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.”

1 Corinthians 8:2

Long road trips in the days prior to in-car video players, entertainment-streaming electronic devices, 8-track tape players, or FM radio got boring very quickly – especially if you were ten or younger. Thirty minutes into a trip the “Are we there yet?” questions would begin. The automatic response, “Not Yet,” grew more emphatic and less patient with each mile traveled. I remember those days well.

As I was reading Hebrews chapter 11 – often referred to as the Faith Hall of Fame – I was reminded of the many times I asked as a child, “Are we there yet?” I tucked the thought into my journal and went on to other things.

Then at the end of April, my sweet man and I visited (for the first time) the “Butterflies are Blooming” exhibit at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With over 7,000 butterflies (60 different species) fluttering around the enclosed tropical exhibit space, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the tiny and not-so-tiny flying works of art. It was breathtaking. God’s handiwork was magnificently on display.

Towards the back of the exhibit was a large glass case that had been the birthing chamber for the caterpillar-woven chrysalises. As I looked at the empty, dried shells from which the butterflies had broken free, I was struck once again with the thought, “Are we there yet?”

The majority of a butterfly’s short life cycle is spent in the “Not yet.” The butterfly spends four to seven days as an egg, the egg hatches and a tiny caterpillar emerges (larva). Not yet a butterfly.

During this stage of the metamorphosis process (up to five weeks), the caterpillar feeds and grows until it splits its outer layer, which falls off revealing a new outer layer. During this season of growth, the new layering process happens four to five times as the caterpillar grows to over 100 times its original size. Still not yet a butterfly.

The chrysalis (or pupa) stage occurs once the caterpillar molts its outer layer one last time and then attaches itself to a protected spot encasing itself in a spun cocoon. From all appearances, nothing is happening – the transformation that is taking place in the chrysalis is invisible to the naked eye. Again, not yet a butterfly.

It takes on average two weeks before the inhabitant of the chrysalis is revealed. (Fun fact: some butterfly species spend up to a month in the chrysalis!)

Finally, after six to eight weeks of living in the “not yet,” a glorious creature emerges. Yes, now! The transformation is completed, and its time has come. The butterfly is fully all that it was intended to be. Dressed in its colorful finery, it is free to explore its world, drinking in the beauty of its surroundings, and tasting the sweet nectar each flower has to offer.

By the end of its two to three weeks as a butterfly, it will have mated, laid eggs so that a new generation of butterflies can be birthed, and it will have folded its painted wings and died.

Many analogies can be drawn between the Christian life and the metamorphosis of the butterfly, but for now, let’s focus on the “not yet.”

As Christ-followers, it’s easy to get upside-down in our thinking. We become impatient in the “not yet.” We revert to our whiny childhood days of “Are we there yet?”

I encourage you to read Hebrews Chapter 11 – the Faith Hall of Fame. Pay close attention to verses 13 and 39-40.

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40

All the faith heroes mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11 “of whom the world was not worthy” (v.38) were living in faithful obedience in the “not yet.”

They did not see the complete fulfillment of God’s promises here on earth but that did not deter them. It did not shake their faith, discourage their obedience, disquiet their spirit, unsettle their resolve, lessen their love, or dampen their hope.

They trusted God to do what He had promised.

They were “looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (v.10) They desired a “better country, that is a heavenly one.” (v. 16) The heroes of faith recognized that this earth was not their final destination.

Sweet Friend, we are living in the “not yet.”

God is good, gracious, and loving in this life. He blesses and graces our lives with His presence. He equips and calls us to serve. He gives our lives purpose and meaning. As the caterpillar and the chrysalis are necessary “not yet” phases to becoming a butterfly, in the Christian’s “not yet” all that God’s Holy Spirit is doing in us and through us is in preparation for our eternal existence as fully transformed children of the King.

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:25 (NIV)

A day of complete transformation is coming, our metamorphosis from earthly to heavenly will be completed. On that day, our real life will begin. We will be all that our Creator intended us to be. Dressed in Heaven’s finery, free to explore our celestial home, drinking in the beauty of our surroundings, rejoicing in the presence of our God and Savior, and tasting the sweet nectar of all that Heaven has to offer.

Unlike the butterfly whose beautiful life is short-lived, we are eternal creatures who are Heaven-bound – children of the King of Glory – and in Heaven, we will forever live in the “Now.” The “not yet” will be no more.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 (NIV)