In my earlier post this morning, I talked about 2
Corinthians 5:17 and being a new creation in God. Since my mother has been
visiting me due to my hospitalization, we decided to visit the butterfly
exhibit at a local museum.
As I walked around in the butterfly sanctuary this morning, I
was filled with a joy and contentment that is very difficult to put into words.
Butterflies and birds have been a huge way that
God communicates with me. I was given a story by one of my therapists a few years
ago about a man who saw a butterfly struggling to emerge from a cocoon. He
wanted to help it, so he decided to cut the cocoon. Unfortunately, by cutting
the cocoon, he did not allow the butterfly to strengthen its wings. When the
butterfly emerged, it could not fly because its wings were not strong enough.
In the same way, our obstacles are exactly what we
need to build strength, determination, courage and wisdom. The Bible talks
about it in this way:
“And not only [that], but we also boast in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation works endurance;
and endurance, experience; and experience, hope;
and hope does not make ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by [the] Holy Spirit
which has been given to us.”
-Romans 5:3-5 (DARBY)
This morning, one butterfly immediately caught my eye. There were
quite a few of this type of butterfly. It frustrated me as I was taking photos
of them, because they were so fast and when they stopped, their wings always closed.
However, when these butterflies flew around, their wings were of
one of the most beautiful shades of blue I have ever seen.
The reasons that these butterflies close their wings when they
land is because their blue wing color makes them more vulnerable to predators.
As I thought about this, Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North came on my phone. Going to the butterfly exhibit was by far one of the most healing experiences I have had since starting this healing journey a few months ago.
Throughout this healing journey, I have realized that God uses
nature to communicate to me in very dramatic ways. As I thought about these
butterflies, I realized that some of the most vulnerable parts of our lives are
also some of the most beautiful parts of who we are. Those vulnerable parts of
our lives that we try to hide from everyone around us are exactly what makes us
beautiful. Sometimes the struggles in our lives lend themselves to become
beautiful blessings. They make us who we are. They are a part of us, just as
the blue wings are a part of the butterflies. However, they do not make up the whole
butterfly.
I have opened up a lot in this blog and I hope that by being
genuine and real that people see the beauty in God and the beauty in my life even
through all of the obstacles I have had to face.
I do not know why God allowed all the negative things to happen in
my life, but what I do know is that God has continually given me the strength I
need to get through. God always provides at the right time. In the same way, God gives animals and everything in
nature exactly what they need to survive.
Some of the butterflies were given unique colors and designs in
order to be able to camouflage themselves, like this one…
Quite a few of the butterflies had broken wings, yet they did not
lose their beauty. Actually, I was drawn to these butterflies, because they
still flew even with their broken wings. They were still beautiful. They were
still alive. Through their brokenness, they still survived. No matter how
broken I have felt in my life, God always provided. In many ways, I currently
feel broken, but God is helping me get through this extremely difficult part of my life. He is healing me in tremendous and powerful ways. I am still God’s beautiful
creation. I may feel broken, but deep down, I am not. God is strengthening me
and helping me fly.
We are all unique. All of the things that happen in our lives make
us unique. All of our gifts are what make us unique. Our uniqueness is what
makes us beautiful. Our beauty comes from how God created each of us. Our
beauty comes from how God never stops caring for us, no matter what comes into
our lives. Our beauty comes from God.
Look at how beautiful these butterflies are yet how uniquely they
were designed…
No comments:
Post a Comment