If you could, would you take anything you’ve done back in your life? I think I would … from minor to major things. A couple of days ago I came across this praying mantis outside our door. He looked so ebullient and I suppose that is what caught my attention. A short distance away from him was a shell of his former self. I mean that literally, as I hope you will enjoy comparing the split picture above. My little girl and I were fascinated and we began to Google praying mantises. I have long enjoyed studying the intricate shells of cicadas, but I believe they only shed once. To my surprise I read that mantises shed six times until they become fully mature. Each time that praying mantis emerges from its cocoon, s/he is better equipped to deal with life. The five-star American General of the Army and Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur (who played a prominent role in the Pacific during World War II) said, “Life is a lively progress of becoming.” What do you want to become? I have many things … a better person, a better Christian, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend, a better advocate, and so much more. I believe I have said here before that my daddy used to say the two saddest words in the English language were, “If only.” While we cannot change our past, I believe we can determine the shape of our future. The biggest part for me is in letting go. I want to shed my defensiveness, forget about the names I have been called and the people who have hurt me so deeply. I like the praying mantis for several reasons: it is a visual reminder by a living creature to pray, with each struggle it becomes stronger, and when it sheds its skin it does not look back at what it once was … instead, it revels in the next chapter of its life. I aspire to be like the mantis, to strive forward, and to achieve the process of becoming.
I love the concept of “shedding” our skins or things that no longer work for us.
Thanks Kelly. So do I.
Wonderful story of forgiveness of ourselves and of others. We should all mature and move forward with our lives.
Thanks for commenting Christy.