From Caterpillar to Butterfly
New Life In Christ
by
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I am willing to bare all so that others may have the courage to come to terms with the abuse that was inflicted upon them. By not dealing with the abuse people remain victims in their own minds and can never have healthy relationships. It often delays the most important relationship of all, which is their relationship with Jesus Christ! There are different types of abuse and the most common are sexual, emotional, physical, and verbal. Sometimes they overlap and all types are emotionally damaging. Victims of abuse are usually left feeling fearful, rejected, unaccepted, unloved, and often suffer with insecurity and low self-esteem. I also felt inferior, insignificant, and of no value to anyone.
Frequent encounters with abuse inevitably hardened my heart. I began to think the world owed me something for all I had been through, and I was determined to get paid back. I became angry at the world and very self-centered. As a result of not dealing with unresolved issues caused by abuse, the anger in my heart grew like a cancer, more intense with each passing day. Anger became deeply rooted in my heart, and by feeding it with resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness, it eventually turned into rage. I acquired a victim mentality when dealing with authority and became suspicious and fearful of them all. Because of my low self-esteem, I put almost everyone in an authoritative position. People representing authority had now become my enemy, and I became rebellious to anyone in that position. All of my life I was looking for love in all the wrong places, because I never knew that God loved me. I thought that God was only out to get me and Jesus only died for good people, not realizing that everyone has fallen short. So there I was, thirty-three years old, hearing for the first time that God loved me even in my sin. As I began to surrender with the help of the Holy Spirit, I started to allow God to take control of many things in my life. Just as a butterfly emerges from its cocoon, I too emerged from my cocoon. As a new creation I became teachable—continually seeking God’s face and being transformed day by day into the image of Christ. I have learned that only by letting Jesus reign in my heart can I return love for hate, include the excluded, and admit when I am wrong. I am in a process and have not yet arrived and will not until the day that God takes me home. But when I arrive in heaven, I will see my God face to face and my transformation will be complete.
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About the Book
My first response to Katie’s writing was shock and awe. To read this account of her life made me feel that any pain I may have gone through in my life was insignificant. Not that pain in anyone’s life should be minimized but this pain was constant and almost unimaginable. As I continued reading many emotions were stirred. There was sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, anger and even despair. By the end of first chapter I wanted to quit reading.
But curiosity kept me going and I’m so glad I did. People say that the test of art is either you hate it or love it. Katie gives us a shot at both emotions. We hate what happens to her in the beginning but we love what happens in the end.
Katie’s story demonstrates the ravages of sin in the lives of all human beings just as Scripture warns. The cast of the destroyed is deep and wide. We find that sin takes no prisoners. Truly it is the ultimate death of any joy, peace or fulfillment in this life. She demonstrates in her writing that sin hurts people and hurting people hurt other people and that the cycle is not easily broken.
But the story has a strange twist. In the midst of hell on earth, death and destruction comes life, a resurrection. Katie’s Knight in shining armor shows up and begins to lift her out of the dust, rips open her caterpillar cocoon and sets her free to be the butterfly she was born to be in the first place. But the resurrection wasn’t just for her. It turns out that her suffering was going to be used for the millions of other caterpillars in the world who are destined to be butterflies. God never waste a hurt but has a plan to turn it to good.
You will love this account of God’s mercy and grace in a world filled with evil. You can believe, God has the last word.
II COR.1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God
About the Author
Katie LeBlanc and her husband, Gary, live in Slidell, La where Katie has helped organize and spoken at various retreats. She has attended various schools and courses on evangelism, and has given her testimony in churches and different Christian organizations. She has taught numerous Bible studies and is currently teaching a weekly Bible study. Her life struggles were preparation for classes she has taught on how to be set free from shame which is a barrier to intimacy. She is now writing her second book titled “His Grace Is Sufficient!” and has plans for others as well. She is the mother of three grown children, grandmother of ten, and great-grandmother of two. Contact Katie by e-mail, “katieleblanc4Him@aol.com” or P.O. Box 1371 Slidell, LA 70459.