Processionary Caterpillars-Vision A Scribd Devotion by Jeff Scott, A Guest Devotioner for DevotionsByDon Today I want to talk to you about

caterpillars processionary caterpillars. These particular caterpillers are called processionary because when they leave the pine trees where they live, they proceed in a procession, i.e. a parade. They march out nose-to-tail I guess thats how to describe it. Actually, Im not sure if caterpillars have noses or tails, but thats how they do it. I I could also say they march out end-to-end, one after the other. Its quite a sight and you can go to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl8IJrpYtgg) to see how they do it. The leader will choose a direction and start moving while the others fall in behind him, stretching out their lines for 10 to 15 feet. Researchers have noted that the followers will become so automatic that they march along with their eyes half closed, blindly following the leader. A Frenchman named Jean Henri Fabre studied this phenomenon, doing an experiment of arranging the caterpillars in a circle around the edge of a flower pot. Fabre then filled the flower pot with their favorite food, pine needles. Because they were arranged in an unbroken circle, there was no real leader, as each caterpillar followed the one in front of it. Incredibly, those caterpillars marched around the flowerpot for seven days! And by the seventh day, they began dying, one-by-one, starving to death despite the fact that their favorite food was literally six inches away. Can you imagine that? Keep in mind that these caterpillars didnt die because they werent working hard. They didnt stop marching for seven days! They simply confused activity for advancement, motion for mission, and routine for meaningful disciplines. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, Where there is no vision the people perish. You see, the caterpillars had no vision. If they had, they would surely have seen that what they needed to sustain life was within their grasp. Yet they were lulled into a sleep walk, a trance, and thus, marched themselves into a rut. Dick Woodward says a rut is a grave with both ends kicked out. The rut they were in could be described as a routine, something in which I, too, can find comfort. Now dont get me wrong; routine is good if its a good routine, especially if it
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comes for the sake of meaningful discipline (a retreat leader once called these holy habits). While there can be strength in discipline, there is also a potential danger with them. Discipline for the sake of discipline can lead to duty, and duty is defined as something that one is required or expected to do by moral or legal obligation . Where routine, duty and discipline are a means to an end, they can be tools to help us build a relationship with our Lord. But when those three mindsets become the end, they can bring death. The Pharisees were dutiful and disciplined such that their knowledge of the scriptures would put most of us to shame. If the Pharisees had acquired vision, they would have seen that the Messiah they were looking for was right there in front of them. And if the caterpillars had acquired vision, they would have seen the food was right there in front of them. Godly leaders have a compelling vision that ignites passion, not only in themselves but in others. Do you have a vision that ignites passion in you and those around you? Moses wanted to lead the children of Israel from bondage and into the Promised Land. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Jesus wanted to restore mankind to God. Peter wanted to build the church of Jesus Christ and Paul wanted to bring the Gospel to the gentiles. What has God called you to do? God didnt just save us from the fire; He saved us for a purpose in this life as well. Jesus tells us, The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV). Eternal life begins now and we are supposed to be moving toward something. I recently heard a sermon in which the pastor mentioned that progress is a Christian concept. Prior to Christ, the predominant world view was the circle of life: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter; Birth, Childhood, Adulthood, Death; Wake-up, Work, Do Good, Sleep, Wake up and Do It All Over Again. But those who have been born again know they are to work out their salvation because it is God who works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure (Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV). We are encouraged to forget those things which are behind, and reach forth to those things which are before, to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13). We are to grow in Christlikeness, to be sanctified. In other words, we are

expected to be moving toward something, to progress. But how do we make sure we are moving in the right direction? We must have godly, forward-focused vision. Dont make the mistake of believing that because you are a Christian you have godly, forward-focused vision. There are plenty of believers who dont have that vision. The children of Israel didnt have that vision. Thats why they kept going around in circles for 70 years when they could have been in the promised land in 7 to 10 days. There have been seasons in my life when I didnt have that vision and felt like I was spinning my wheels. So the question becomes this: How do we get that vision? Well, I think the obvious answer is to seek it in prayer. Seek God, pursue Him and be persistent in asking for a specific vision for your life. Practically speaking, I have heard godly men I trust, give the following advice: The place to begin looking for your vision or destiny is at the intersection of the cross and your passion. Another pastor said that the way to find a vision is to ask the question, Where are we broken? in an organization, in a church, in a family. Find a problem and seek to address it. Problems are where visions begin. For example, think of Nehemiah. He saw a problem that grieved his soul. The walls around Jerusalem were destroyed. God birthed a vision in his heart to fix that problem and work to have the walls rebuilt. Many people were stirred by his vision and joined in to get the job done. Thats what a God-given vision does; it draws others in and inspires them. When you get that vision, you have to protect it because vision evaporates. The enemy does not want you to have a godly vision because he knows it will have eternal impact. So he will seek to steal, kill and destroy that vision. You have to protect it, feed it and keep recasting it. How do you do that? One way is by the daily renewing of your mind. Spending time with the Lord each day and allowing him to set your outlook and attitude for that day. Aligning yourself with His purposes. The practice of putting on your spiritual armor for that day to protect yourself and your vision is important. Another thing you can do is to avoid activity for the sake of being busy. Remember the caterpillars. They worked hard but missed it. Burn-out comes from a couple of places: doing something you werent designed to do and not refilling your tank on a regular basis. In addition to renewing your mind daily, another way to keep your spiritual tank full is to immerse yourself in things that inspire YOU, keeping in mind that what inspires you
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may not inspire me. Are you inspired by music, or a particular musician? Movies inspire me, especially good ones with a hero fighting for a cause. The movie 42 about Jackie Robinson recently came out. Jackie was a man who had to overcome a lot to achieve his vision of integrating major league baseball and he did it, changing peoples hearts in the process. By the way, his vision didnt start with himself . It started in someone else, Branch Rickey, and was passed on to Jackie, because vision is contagious. Another thing that inspires me is a good book about someone who has achieved something great. Ill recommend this one to you: Unbroken, the story of Louis Zamperini, a world class runner whose career was interrupted by WW2. Louis eventually became a POW in Japan, suffering unspeakably in the process. When the war ended, his life was a mess but he had an encounter with the One who changes hearts. His transformation led Louis to return to Japan to offer forgiveness. Louis great story is now being made into a movie. Thats the kind of stuff that inspires me. However, first and foremost is to stay in the Word and prayer, always our top priority. In closing, dont be like the processionary caterpillar and confuse activity with achievement, motion with mission, routine for meaningful disciplines. Seek God for a vision, take care of the vision and keep your spirit filled up. One last story. I am a big baseball fan. Some of you here might be fans of the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles had a manager, from 1968 to 1986, named Earl Weaver. Earl is considered one of the great managers of all time, and had a reputation for protecting his players and arguing with umpires. If Earl disagreed with an umpires call, he would go out and argue with them. Many times he would turn his hat backwards and get in a nose-to-nose shouting match that would go on for quite a while. After an argument, he would head back to the dugout, stop, look over his shoulder and ask the ump, Are you gonna get any better or is this it? I want to pose that same question to you. Are you going to get any better or is this it? Just be sure youre not going around in circles until Jesus comes!