Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
Eze. 3:1-4
As I am writing this, the first thing that comes to my mind is… “Eat the cake Annamae!!!” I digress. I love movies, especially musicals. I can find the simplest revelations in them. One of my favorite musicals is Auntie Mame, and one of my favorite lines is, “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Let me tell you, it is possible to say so much, to give so much that you end up starving. God did not call us or design us to starve. He has called us to eat of His word. Have you ever noticed in life, someone will always try to feed you? It may not be what you want, it may not even be what you need at the time, but someone somewhere is looking to feed you.
Food is symbolic of care and nurturing. When someone really cares they will feed you. Ask any mother or grandmother, they are gauging if you are getting the right food. They want to know that you are eating your veggies and getting your vitamins. They want you full. God wants us to be full. He knows that where we are going we need to be full. Full of His word. “For His word have I hid in my heart…” In the signal scripture this week, God is speaking to Ezekiel, a man he has called to speak judgment unto Israel. One of the first things God does is equip him with His word. This stage is very important. Eating at this point is not necessarily because you enjoy it, it’s because you need it. Just ask the caterpillar.
Often, I have found myself to be fascinated by the caterpillar. It’s elongated body moving slowly across the ground. Able to stretch and retract as needed. The caterpillar is forever moving. Slowly. Steadily, but moving none the less in Silence. Not with a crowd, not with a pack, but silently alone. Silence sometimes gets a bad rap, but in the caterpillar stage it is so necessary. When you are in a place of transition, a place you may not understand you must be careful with what you speak.
The caterpillar stage of the butterfly is all about eating. The caterpillar is starving. Literally starving. It is in a constant state of hunger. That hunger and the fulfillment of it is so pertinent to the next stage. Matt. 5:6 states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. For they shall be filled.” The caterpillar stage is about getting filled. The thing about being filled is not the feeling of fulness, but what you have filled up on. My pastor started the year out with a specific scripture, Psalms 45:1, “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. (KJV). Ever since he spoke that word, my mind has been whirling. The Lord began to deal with me concerning pens. Before the modern-day pen was invented, there was stone and chisels, there was also quills and blood. Until ink became readily available a quill was dipped in blood and used to write. One of the first pens that was invented was a fountain pen. This pen only worked when it was filled. It could only write when it was full. Unlike the caterpillar, the pen cannot expand it can only take in a certain amount and it must be used or it would dry out.
As we go through this caterpillar stage, I ask you one question… What are you filling your pen with? Are you filling it with doubt or fear? With condemning words, or self-depreciating comments? Or our we filling the pens with the Spirit and Word of God? The more we feed upon the Spirit, the more we eat the whole roll… and not the promises about blessings, but also His commandments, the more we feed on the love of Christ, we change the ink in our pen, and we set about to write the next chapter of our lives.
The caterpillar is the ultimate ready writer. Sitting patiently, eating all the glory of God. Feeding itself on the Word of the Lord. Patiently building up the stores within, because they know they will soon be writing its future. Did you know not all caterpillars become butterflies? Some can become moths. Be careful what you eat in this stage, be careful of what you speak in this stage. You have the power to write your next chapter, do you want to be the butterfly who soars, or the moth drawn to the flame?
This stage can be long, so don’t feel like you are just sitting. You, my dear, are getting full. It is better to be full than to starve any day. As I stated earlier, eating it all is vital to the next stage… The cocoon: The Prison of Transformation Rom. 7:21-25, I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (KVJ)
I leave you with a challenge this week. Go on a word fast. For the next 7 days limit your conversation and take stock of the words you are speaking. What are you ready to write for your next chapter?
