Distressed Butterflies

You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. Ezekiel 2:7 (NIV)

Four chrysalises opened. From the top of my butterfly cage, two hung and then flapped wings. They were eager to take off. 

            Unfortunately, the other two fell upside-down to the bottom of the enclosure. Thread-sized legs grasped frantically at the air. They couldn’t fly or turn themselves over. 

            When I unzipped the cage, the active ones clasped my finger and crawled on my hand before flying away. 

            The others needed help. Each one tried to clutch my finger but dropped. Over and over they attempted to hold on.

            Finally, I pulled my hand out twice as each of them gripped my finger. With limited strength, they fell to the ground. 

            Time after time I put a tiny twig near the teeny legs and laid them on milkweed plants. They squeezed valiantly but plummeted. Finally, both hung from the leaves while fluid filled their wings.  

            I checked on them every few minutes. Thankfully after a couple hours, one flapped its wings and zoomed off. 

            However, the second butterfly’s wings refused to open completely. No matter how many times I tried to rescue it, the wee creature couldn’t fly. 

            For an unseen reason, it never followed God’s plan. I felt sadness at losing the little one. But I rejoiced that twenty-eight butterflies flew away. 

            God doesn’t want any to perish. Butterflies or people. 

            Often we nurture and guide those who falter. We might try over and over to help them know Jesus. Many  believe but some don’t. 

            I won’t give up on my butterflies even though some don’t survive. Likewise, we shouldn’t give up on sharing the love of Jesus even though some reject Him. 

            In all cases, let the Holy Spirit lead us and leave the results to God. 

Creator, the beauty of your creation captures us. But even in the midst of the beauty, there is sadness and rejection.  Lead us to help those who falter. Amen   

Day of Waiting

 

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴ It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.  Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Luke 23:50-56 (NIV)

Waiting for a check to arrive. Waiting for the traffic light to change. Waiting for a phone call. Waiting to see a doctor. 

 

            Every day we wait for something. Significant and insignificant. Sometimes with anticipation and other times with dread. 

 

            After His crucifixion, Jesus’ disciples, women who stood at the foot of the cross, Roman soldiers, Pilate and religious leaders waited. 

 

            The women waited to finish adding spices to His lifeless body after the Sabbath. His disciples waited in a locked room wondering if they would die for being with Him. Roman soldiers guarded the tomb and waited for followers to try to steal His body to “prove” He rose. Jewish leaders waited for normalcy to return to their lives. Pilate waited for peace to return to his jurisdiction. 

 

            During the silence of Saturday, the world waited with impatience, confusion, and sadness. 

 

            Although thousands experienced Jesus’ miracles and teachings, His death squashed hope. Brought despair and uncertainty. 

 

            For Christians, the silence of Saturday brings a time of contemplation and reflection. Time to examine beliefs,  prioritize lives and remember the agony of the cross. 

 

            Embrace the solemn silence of Saturday before the joy and excitement of Easter. 

 

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to die for us. Amen.

Cloudy Eyes

 

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! 

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NIV)

A wall of fog concealed the lake. Bit by bit, grayness dispersed to reveal the near-by shoreline.  However, a veil of haze produced a fuzzy view of the lake.

            Before eye surgery, cloudy lenses distorted my eyesight. Because cataracts developed over time, I had no idea my contorted vision wasn’t trustworthy. 

            When I had to constantly wear reading glasses and distance views were blurry, I knew I had a problem. An eye exam confirmed cataracts needed to be removed. 

            After my first surgery, the bathroom light glowed like a beacon.  Kitchen lights blazed with a new intensity. 

            With my corrected eye, white shirts glistened. The same shirt with my other eye appeared as a dull beige. I opened and closed one eye at a time to experience the contrast in colors and brilliance. 

            For a few years, cloudiness affected my vision without me realizing it. Only after the removal of the imperfections did I truly understand defects I had lived with. 

            Each person sees the world through a different lens which may be distorted because of life situations. We may not realize our perspective is clouded until the imperfections are removed. 

            But in Jesus, we are new creations with the veil removed. 

Father, thank you for giving us new life and helping us see life through Your eyes. Amen.