Today I have been reflecting on a quote from Maya Angelou.  She says, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

I love that quote and I think that is a great reminder for all of us.  We love butterflies.  We marvel and offer praise when someone is at that stage in their life where vibrant colors are shining and they can take flight easily and effortlessly each and every day.  We acknowledge the beauty of those moments and of those people.  We esteem the butterflies of this world.

But in the midst of that beauty, we often fail to acknowledge the transformation that took place in someone’s life.  We fail to properly esteem the changes, the struggle, and the time spent inching their way along day by day until finally, they made it to that season of transition.  Too often I fear, we fail to appreciate and esteem the caterpillars.  We fail to appreciate and acknowledge that everyone is a work in progress.  We fail to recognize that there is beauty and potential in everyone we meet, not just the ones who shine bright and fly.

Today, I hope that you will shine bright.  I pray that you will fly easily and effortlessly.  And I pray that God will bless you with the capacity to see the worth and value of others, not just those who shine bright and fly easily but also those who are still a work in progress.