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
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