When I was seven years old, in 1957, we had a cicada infestation. Cicadas live for most of their 17 years as ugly white grub worms. When they mature, they crawl out of the ground, molt, and the adult locust flies away. To attract a mate, they produce a deafeningly loud chirping noise. The adult lives for six weeks, mates, lays eggs, and dies. The eggs hatch into a grub, the grub lives in the ground for 17 years, and the cycle begins all over again. My brother and I would catch locusts and throw them on the ground for the chickens to eat. Great fun when you’re a kid. The empty molted cicada shell is spooky to look at. It has the shape of the immature insect with all the details … but it is empty! The Cicada nymph crawls out of the ground and attaches to something solid. The back of the exoskeleton splits, and the metamorphosed adult emerges leaving the old hollow nymph shell behind. Hey, the apostle Paul talks about the Christian life in similar terms. Paul says in Colossians 3:9&10, “… seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” The dear Lord gives us the strength to live the new Christian life, but it is our responsibility to obey and to follow Him. And just like the old locust shell, we must put off our old sinful nature and put on the new Christ-like nature. God does the work in our life, but we must cooperate with His Holy Spirit in the work. Hey, come out of your shell! Put off the old and put on the new. Don’t live like an ugly grub worm! Become more like Christ every day!
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