The Boy and the Caterpillar- A Story on Trust

So my first story to share happened my first week at Tutor Time which was almost a month ago...

One morning my first time with 12 children all by myself I was told that my group would be going outside..  I gathered the children and took them outside..  All was fair and well when I heard a blood curdling scream.  I thought it was a girl screaming in terror when to my surprise when I turned around I found a boy running towards me.  And the screaming was coming from him.  I got down on my knees and he ran into my arms.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

He was still crying and pointed to something on the concrete.

I looked and saw crawling on the ground a very long, fat, hairy caterpillar!!!  It's the biggest one I had ever seen.  I had to double check to make sure I saw it clearly.  It was about 5-6 inches long.

Seeing that it was only a caterpillar "I said it's okay.  You don't need to be afraid.  It's not going to hurt you  Did it startle you?"

He said "Yeah."

I asked him "Do you know what that is?"

Sobbing still he shook his head and said "No."

I said it was a caterpillar.  He gave me that inquisitive and perplexed look.  Curiosity had started to take over now and I now I had a teachable moment.

I asked him "Do you know what it will become?"

He again said "No."

"Well, one day it will become a butterfly."

"How?"

"Well one day this caterpillar will wrap himself up into a tiny cocoon which is like a shell and will go to sleep.  When it wakes up one day it will come out of there and will have wings and be a beautiful butterfly."

"Oh but why?"

In my head I want to say "that's the way God made it" but I felt I couldn't due to working at a secular school so I said "that's just the way it was made."

"Yes so there is nothing to worry about.  The caterpillar won't hurt you.  You can trust me."

He was still quite shaken so I held him and we watched the assistant scoop our caterpillar friend in a plastic cup and set him on the tree so the caterpillar could be off the concrete and not get hurt by the children riding around on the tricycles.

The other kids were now noticing what was happening and were asking more questions and the little boy was now telling them what I had told him.  The assistant also went over to the boy not knowing that I had had the discussion about what caterpillars turn into and asked him if he knew.  The boy looked at her and said "A butterfly" and then said "she told me" pointing to me.  She looked up at me and we both smiled. :)  

It was wonderful that this little boy had trusted me to get the comfort he wanted and the questions he needed answered even though I had only been there a day or so before.  Children learn to trust so easily.  It's a wonder why we don't trust God as much or as easily as a child trusts an adult.

Why is that?  Could it be that we think we know all the answers or we got it all figured out?  Could it be that we are afraid of God?  That we want to be in control?  Trusting God whom you never physically have seen takes faith.  It's one thing to believe in Him and it's another thing to trust Him as your one and only Savior- to place your faith in Him.  He is in control.  We must remember that.

I hope that when we are in the midst of the trial that we remember that we can run to Jesus and through prayer call on His name and remember He will help us through.  Oh may we all remember to trust God like a little child trusts us and trust Him with our whole heart.  Trials may come and go and life is not just a walk in the park but with Christ by our side and us trusting Christ we will be given the peace that surpasses all understanding.

And we can rest in that.  Knowing that Christ will take care of us for we are His children. :)