I'll Fly Away

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In a previous post, we discussed cicadas, or locusts, as they are called around here.  We talked about their lifecycle and how the female locusts lays eggs in the bark of a limb.  Those eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground and burrow into holes in the ground where they live out most of their lives.  They have a long life cycle ranging from two to seventeen years.  When they emerge from the ground, they shed their skins and emerge as an adult leaving their exoskeleton behind.

On Labor Day I was shelling some pecans by the base of a live oak tree and was able to capture most of the process.  Forgive the lack of focus in some of the pictures.  I'm still trying to figure out how to focus the camera. 

Below the adult is in the process of emerging from its exoskeleton or shell from a slit in the back.  The bug is working very hard to emerge.  Look closely at the neon green colored things.  You'll see what those are in a minute.


Breaking free

 Here is a side view of the process with a better angle.  It also shows a shell from another locust.  One that's been "left behind."



Looks like something out of the movie, "Alien"


Although this picture is very fuzzy (sorry), you can make out that the green things were wings!  The locust is unraveling them slowly. 

And here the locust has completely unraveled his wings and is drying them out in the breeze as they are wet.  He stayed in this position for quite a while.

I liked the way the sun shone through his wings here, almost making him look like a neon light.

Once his wings are completely dry, he begins a slow crawl to a place where he'll launch himself into flight.  During this time he would stop and shake and make some weird noises.  He's left his old body behind and is focused on taking flight toward the next phase in his existence.  I watched him for a few minutes longer and then he was gone.



A bug's life


Leaving behind the shell of a man I once was...

This, of course, got me thinking.  Do you ever feel trapped in an old body?  Does that body due to health issues hold you back?  Ever feel constrained, like the shackles of life have you confined?  Fear not, my friend.  I hate to compare a human to a bug, but the illustration hit me like a ton of bricks.  One day, like the locust, if we are in Christ, we are going to be freed from these mortal bodies.  We are going to break free and fly heavenward, leaving the old shell of a body behind!  In our new home, we are told in Revelation 21:4 that "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."  Take heart - there's hope!  Do you know Him? 

Albert Brumley wrote the hymn below in 1929 that is said to be the most recorded gospel song.  Click the link and minimize it, while you re-read the story of the locust.  I think the words to the song fit nicely and provide great encouragement.

I'll Fly Away - Gillian Welch

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).