“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other; the elder shall serve the younger.”
— Genesis 25:23
Dear members and friends,
Meaning is deeply important to us as human beings; at times, even more so than material or physical things that are existentially real to us. Because we crave meaning, we often aspire to become people who are respected and praised by others. Yet, this desire can inadvertently lead us to chase after the exact same things the rest of the world is chasing.
Whenever I think about this, a story about a caterpillar’s journey comes to mind:
Once, a caterpillar was traveling. Then he noticed a massive crowd of other caterpillars rushing in one direction. At first, he ignored them, but soon he felt compelled to follow along. He didn’t want to be left behind, so he joined the crowd and began pushing to move faster than the others. Eventually, he arrived at a strange sight: a towering pile of caterpillars climbing toward the sky. Pushing through and crawling on others, he finally reached the very top. But he was shocked to discover that there was nothing there but empty space. They seemed to want nothing more than to reach the sky. Disappointed, he climbed down and resumed his original journey. Soon after, he felt an inner urge to become a cocoon, eventually transforming into a beautiful butterfly. As he flew freely through the sky, he passed the caterpillar tower and noticed they were all still doing the exact same thing. He wondered, “why are they doing this stupid thing? They are all born to become butterflies who could fly the sky freely.”
Becoming smarter, more famous, or wealthier than those around us might not hold the true meaning we assume it does, or fulfil our hearts as we imagine them to do. The true meaning of being human can only be found within, because God is present in our hearts. Consequently, the true fulfilment of our hearts lies in achieving what we are meant to become.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us take a moment for prayer this week. Let us ask God to reveal the true meaning behind the things that keep us so busy. If we have gone astray, may our gracious God point us back toward a truly fulfilling direction.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee