SA02 - “Be Transformed by Making Your Mind Over”

There once was a very attractive young woman named Rachel who had been on a wrongful course in life. Always chasing the latest thrill, she spent most of her days partying, drinking, and getting into trouble. As time went on, she lost touch with her family and friends, and now was on the verge of once again losing her job.

One day, Rachel noticed two people standing at a cart. They both looked pleasant enough and as she inspected what they were selling, one handed her a book about butterflies and their metamorphosis. She was fascinated by the stories of so many of the individuals in the book, who like the caterpillar was awakened and slowly transformed into a beautiful butterfly. She wondered to herself, “could I too undergo a metamorphosis and transform my life for the better?”

With newfound determination, Rachel decided to make a change. She began studying with the person who introduced her to this wonderful book, and she started attending meetings, which she rationalized were like a therapy session to address her underlying issues that started her down the wrong path. Just like the caterpillar that spins a cocoon around itself, Rachel retreated into herself to focus on her personal relationship with Jehovah, someone she never knew. She did not simply embellish her life with a few good deeds, instead, she stopped and examined the person she was deep inside and made up her mind to make the needed changes so that she could bring her life as close as possible to Jehovah’s standards.

This was not easy, she had to endure the pain of confronting the mistakes of her past, just as the caterpillar undergoes a painful transformation within its cocoon, but she was able to do it with the help of exercising her conscience, training it to be more aware of the pain she was causing Jehovah when she disobeyed him. (Isaiah 1:18)

As time passed, Rachel began to see the fruits of her labor and even though she was unable to reinstitute her relationship with her family, she was able to regain the trust of her coworkers, not to mention she now had many new friends from the meetings she attended. She had transformed into a completely different person, just like the caterpillar that becomes a butterfly.

Just as the butterfly no longer had anything in common with the caterpillar, Rachel no longer had anything in common with the bad influences that once dominated her life. She had shed her old habits and unhealthy relationships, just as the butterfly shed its cocoon to emerge as a new creature and even though she had setbacks, she was always confronted with the harmful thoughts from her past, but this time, instead of dwelling on the negativity, she instead prayed to Jehovah about the one thing that really tore at her, that big thing that always sought to tear her down and demoralize her; but now, unlike before, she was confident that Jehovah would hear her cries for help. (1 John 5:14, 15.)

The strange thing is that instead of eliminating the negative thoughts, Jehovah strengthens her, and with that reinforcement, she fails to simply give in. (1 Peter 5:10) Rachel marveled at the beauty and freedom of the butterfly as it fluttered through the air, unburdened by its past life as a caterpillar. She realized that with the help of Jehovah, she too was unburdened by her past mistakes and poor choices. She was free to live her life in service to him, the one that gave her new understanding and freedom, without the weight of her past burdening her.

Just like the butterfly that struggles to emerge from its cocoon, Rachel must work hard to continue the transformation. But the result is worth it – she has become a new person, with new goals, new relationships, and a newfound sense of purpose; she looks towards progress, not perfection. Now when she has a misstep, she moves forward carefully, seeing it as room for improvement, always following the admonition of Philippians 3:16: “To the extent we have made progress, let us go on walking orderly in this same course.”

Do you have a comment that did not get mentioned during the Watchtower study? What encouraging observations would you like to point out? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.