Butterflies

Watch where you step!

Check your clothing in the mirror when you leave!

One of the benefits of our rainy, cold, and foggy vacation was finding a butterfly conservatory, but I was unprepared for and surprised about the rules posted near the entrance to the conservatory.

 Butterflies land on the brick pathways. Really? I couldn’t ever remember seeing anything like that before. Nor could I imagine being a more inviting landing pad than the striking flowers planted in thigh-high beds. But maybe, the thought bubbled up inside, maybe one could land on me. Wouldn’t that be fun? But not likely, my grown-up mind reasoned.

While classical music accompanied the burbling of the ivy-covered fountain, I followed the brick path into the room. Eventually taking a seat on an iron bench fashioned in the shape of a butterfly, I soon spotted a black-winged friend on the floor.

Did you know that butterflies live only ten to fourteen days?  All the chrysalises on display at the conservatory would one day birth something beautiful. The gigantic Atlas moth, newly emerged, and still with the chrysalises, would live two weeks at the most.

What a pity that such beauty only lasts a brief two weeks! Yet this was their time, their time to offer the world with their color and grace. And there I was—one person among millions, following and preceding other millions, yet this was my time to shine. The butterflies weren’t on display for themselves. They were lovely for their Creator, and that day they were his gift to me.

Their glory only reflected his glory, creativity, and masterful design. They reminded me that in my lifetime I am to reflect the glory of my Father as well.

Although there were many butterflies active in the conservatory—eight to nine hundred—there was comparatively little activity. Sunlight activates the butterflies. Light on their wings energizes them. If there’d been sunlight that day, the room would have been full of winged activity.

Isn’t that what it’s like for us who follow the Master? When he shines upon us and warms us with his love, doesn’t it energize us to worship, prayer, and service?  It’s impossible to experience God and not be moved by who he is.

While I was sitting on the bench I felt a fairy-touch on my hair. Instinctively I reached up. A woman nearby said, “A butterfly landed in your hair.” With a smile she added, “Good luck for you today!”

Later another landed on my jacket. I’m sure it was a fashion-conscious butterfly, as the blue on its wings matched my jacket perfectly. Then, like a child, I picked up wood chips and gave several butterflies stepping stones off the pathway and placed them back into the flower beds because, sadly, there were some butterflies that had been trampled or were on their last wing.

In the book, Talking with My Father, author Ray Stedman states, “God is the ultimate reality, and we are intended to know Him and experience Him on a daily basis. When we do so, life becomes vibrant, exciting, and awesome.”

There was a bit of giggly awesomeness about the butterfly conservatory. It was like a surprise package from my father God that made me want to laugh, compare myself to the butterfly, enjoy the creativity of a matchless God who would make butterflies, and let me enjoy them on a cold, gloomy day.