Sometimes a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
When I first saw the above picture on my friend Shelly’s Facebook page I blurted out, “I know just how you feel butterfly! I am also just trying to hold on!”
I don’t usually talk to pictures, but when the butterfly scrolled across my screen I felt like I was getting ready to lose it. I had just returned from taking my daughter to the emergency room for the fourth time in a week. I was sleep deprived and very emotional. In a short time, much had happened in my life and in the lives of many of my loved ones—most of which belongs in the category of “unspoken” prayer requests. I was talked out, prayed out, and praised out. I just wanted to shut everything and everybody out and shut down.
I rarely cry, but I felt like curling up in a corner and bawling. That’s when I saw the picture of the butterfly. That’s when I made the comment about trying to hold on. That’s when I retreated to my prayer closet expecting a meltdown.
Instead of a meltdown I had an encounter. Once again, I saw the picture, but this time it was imprinted in my mind. It was as if my brain had taken a screen shot of it and God was adding a commentary. Here are few of the take away points:
The butterfly wasn’t trying to hold on. It was hanging out. It was connected to a source of nourishment and drinking nectar that would sustain life. I might have felt like I was barely holding on, but the truth was I was hanging out with God, even if I didn’t feel Him at the time. The Lord is our source. He is our strength when we are weak. Staying connected to Him always nourishes our spirits and brings us life, even during the times when we are “not feeling it”.
The butterfly was upside down, but it was receiving what it needed. Currently, a lot of things in my life and in the lives of my loved ones seem upside down, but the truth is that God knows all and is moving in ways that are often unseen for a season. No matter what is going on in our lives, we can trust that God is in control and that He is working out all things for good.
The butterfly’s connection had a greater purpose. Since pollen sticks to the legs of the butterfly as it drinks, it can pollinate other flowers. When you and I stay connected to the Lord He will impart life into us that will in turn bring life to others.
The butterfly was at peace. Spending time with the Lord and receiving from Him restores our peace.
I had retreated to my closet to cry. But Instead of crying, I ended up laughing and worshipping!
God had spoken to me through a simple picture-a picture that was worth a thousand words. Well, in this case, maybe just a couple of hundred. 😊
May you and I always stay connected to the Lord, our source!
Have a beautiful, blessed day!
Jeannie
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5 (NKJV).