Metamorphosis

It had been three months of waiting and it was taking too long. I watched and checked that plant everyday hoping to find the much-awaited transformation but constantly, there was that stubborn lift to its form that seemed to declare its uncompromising stand in our unspoken battle of wills. The indomitable house plant was lean and straight, healthy and green, with the rich, brown earth covering its base in the confines of its home - a green ceramic pot big enough to sustain its growth for a number of years. I did not even know the plant's name, but I loved the way it presented itself with an array of emerald, broad, shimmering freshness that its leaves seemed to flaunt as they greeted the hot, unforgiving Las Vegas sun every morning.

But nature appeared to hold it back. Why else would its longest and youngest stalk remain tenaciously rolled tight for so long, impervious to the nurturing of photosynthetic elements and caring human touch? I could not understand that intractable, unreasonable streak, and impatience was setting in. A little annoyed at the plant's implacable determination to deny me the visceral satisfaction of witnessing the phenomenon of an unfolding leaf, I decided to, literally, take matters in my own hands. Gingerly, I ran my fingers along the length of the leaf as I balanced myself on the armrest of a nearby couch. The long, tapering shape was approximately a foot and a half long and half an inch in diameter with the outer edge tightly rolled. There was no indentation or space that would allow me to open it without damaging its tender and supple form. Carefully, I attempted to slowly unwrap the smooth, velvety edge somewhere in the middle with my fingernail. A tiny bit gave in and I tried to gradually trace it up and down, looking for a spot that would yield easier. But my success was limited. The remainder of the edge would not surrender to the pressure of human manipulation. It seemed that the uncompromising law of nature was more binding and inescapable. Considering my options more seriously, I decided that waiting a little longer would be more preferrable. After my failure to coax the leaf to open, forcing and ruining it would now seem a cruel act of retribution.

True to form, my obstinate nature tinged with a trace of ruthlessness refused to take a final bow. After a few days, with itchy, determined fingers I returned. With the killer instinct that would put the human protagonist of "Man vs. Food" to shame, I bowed that this time, I would not again yield to the tenacity cloaked in velvety green softness of this species of life. I would no longer be cowed by its charm, the elegance of its form and its indomitable, unbending spirit encased in a delicate facade that seemed to taunt me for my ineptitude. I surveyed the leaf. It had not shown any visual sign of change since my failed attempt a few days ago. I knelt on the armrest of the couch, ran my fingers on the still, elongated litheness that had been the object of my fixation. Tracing the folded edge along the same area that I tried to open before, I was prepared to meet another stubborn resistance when all of a sudden, pooof! With an imperceptible sound, the leaf sprang open at it's own volition!  It did not fully spread out by any means, but it had freed itself from whatever was holding it close and had the whole edge unfolded. It proudly displayed its new yellow-green color, shimmery, faintly translucent, almost dancing in the early morning light. I could not believe my eyes at such transformation. It was a spectacle of life unlike any other and I had witnessed it occupying the front row seat! Whether my unsuccessful machinations a few days prior was instrumental to this change I was unsure, but glad I attempted, nonetheless. As if performing a ritual of celebration, the leaf, even the whole plant, made a subtle sway as a light wind entered from the patio door. It was a fitting gesture from a life that had endured a long entrapment that stunted its growth. Caged in itself, it did not have the opportunity to develop and improve, expand, mature and discover what lay within its world. Unlocked from its self-imposed prison and ready to claim what nature denied it for so long, it was now free at last!

Life oftentimes educate us through an unlikely medium. Often bogged down by our perception of life's seeming inanity, we usually fail to recognize the simple day-to-day events that mirror life itself and where lessons, powerful and life-changing, are generated... such as the one from an unyielding leaf and the prying fingers of its host. Wrapped up tightly in our cocoon of self-doubt and insecurity, we often need to be rescued from our ineffective attempt to get out of our disabling shell and emerge as a butterfly, beautiful, free, and metamorphosed into the sunlight of confidence and self-mastery.

There is also a spiritual parallet in the struggles and the ultimate release of the bound leaf and the liberating power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The all-encompassing love of our Heavenly Father is an unfailing catalyst for change that can transform, amend, and reform even the most dreadful darkness in man's soul. Tightly bound by our feelings of hopelessness and misery and struggling for release from the quagmire of sin, we can be lifted up and saved by the outstretched hand of the Savior, if only we would trust him. His invitation is earnest and tender, his entreaty is suffused with the power of a divine promise when he said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). As we raise our sin-weary arms to meet, in an act of repentance, the merciful hand of the Master, we will be renewed and transported in the sweet haven of his love. Light, joyously free, and unhindered by the cocoon of sin and despair, we will soar from the chrysalis of misery and sorrow as a radiant, dazzling butterfly in a true metamorphosis of the spirit.