The Heimlich Maneuver

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Someday, I’ll be a bea–u–tiful butterfly!”

Throughout the movie “A Bug’s Life,” Heimlich, an unquestionably pudgy caterpillar with an insatiable appetite, has a singular desire: he wants to be a beautiful butterfly. From the first scene to the last, Heimlich constantly reminds us of his quest. Then towards the end of the movie, you see Heimlich jumping out of a tree, holding leaves in all of his hands and flapping them like they were wings. He exclaims, “Look at me! I’m flying like a beautiful butterfly!”

The movie sets up the final scenes with absolute clarity. The scene pans up to a cocoon. Here is the moment we have been waiting for. The cocoon begins to shake and open. We can’t wait to see what a beautiful butterfly Heimlich has become. Then it happens . . . the Heimlich Maneuver. Out of the cocoon drops the exact same unquestionably pudgy caterpillar WITH TWO LITTLE-BITTY WINGS!

Animation dictates that characters must look the exact same to be recognizable. Therefore, you can imagine how hard it would be to change a pudgy caterpillar into a graceful butterfly and it still be recognizable as Heimlich. The animators for “A Bug’s Life” chose not to solve this problem. They simply turned Heimlich into a worm with wings.

I would say that all of us – at least at times – have fallen victim to the Heimlich Maneuver. We have bought into the lie. The Evil One has come up beside us and said, “You are nothing but a worm with wings. Just look in the mirror. You haven’t changed at all. You aren’t any better today than you were before you knew Christ. You will never be beautiful. So, you have wings. Big deal! Under those wings, you’re still just a big, fat worm.” And we buy the lie.

Our God is not in the business of putting wings on worms. He is in the business of creating beauty and perfection. When He says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, ALL THINGS have become new,” (2 Corinthians 5:17), it is either true or false. There is no middle ground. Some things did not become new. Most things did not become new. ALL THINGS became new!

Yet we say, “But I don’t feel any different.” The fact is that you’re looking in the wrong mirror. Do not look into the mirror of the flesh. Look into the mirror of God’s Word. His Word says you are complete, 100% forgiven, accepted and much, much more. He says you are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people.” (1 Peter 2:9) This is the vision He has for your life. As G. K. Chesterton says, “The vision is always a fact.”

There are a large number of beautiful butterflies – God’s own special people – crawling around like worms with wings, because they have been looking in the mirror of the flesh and bought into the lie of the Heimlich Maneuver. Isn’t it time for us to look into the mirror of God’s Word, accept that we are a new creation in Christ, set our eyes on the vision God has for our life, and start living as the beautiful children He has made us? Isn’t it time?

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.