Today
my desktop calendar
offers these words of wisdom –
“There is nothing about a caterpillar
to say that it’s going to turn
into a butterfly”.

And I wonder
if this was the kind of thought
that Jesus formed in his mind
when he met Levi,
the tax collector.

Jesus didn’t approach Levi
with disgust
or treat him with disdain
like other Jews
who viewed Levi
as a traitor –
a Jew who collaborated
with Roman occupying forces.

Instead,
Jesus approached Levi
with words of welcome,
and invitation –
“Follow me!”
And to everyone’s amazement
Levi did just that –
he followed Jesus.

Lord,
help me, like Jesus,
to treat those I meet
with respect.
Help me
not to judge by appearances
because, who knows –
maybe that person, inside,
is a beautiful butterfly
and not a caterpillar
after all!

© Claire Murray, 1st March 2020
(Luke 5: 27-32)