Beautiful Butterflies
This little beauty sat on a leaf in the Butterfly House at the Life & Science Museum in Durham, North Carolina. I use past tense because butterflies have such a short life span that this little guy is no longer around. The thing is -- this butterfly was created by God for a specific purpose, it fulfilled it's purpose and then left us.
Some years ago, I wrote a piece about the brief life of the butterfly in my book, Joy in the Journey - a Traveler's Tale with a Twist. I'm going to share excerpts in this post:
“The butterfly
counts not months but moments and has time enough” is from the short poem,
“Time,” by Rabindranath Tagore. This
fragile little creature has a life span that varies according to species from
three days to six months. The
average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. So, when we say, “The butterfly counts not
months but moments…” that’s no exaggeration. A butterfly that lives for three days has
slightly over 4,000 minutes to perform its entire life purpose – yet – the last
part of that quotation reads, “…and has time enough.”
Although
its life is short to our viewpoint, the butterfly does not frantically rush
about trying to accomplish as much as possible. No, rather this dainty creature gently
flutters its wings, flitting from flower to flower, unhurried -- quietly doing
its job. Along the way, the butterfly
not only pollinates flowers and vegetables as God ordained, but also provides
bright spots of delicate beauty for those who see it.
The
butterfly brings glory to God, its Creator, during its short life journey
because it faithfully performs the duties for which it was created. It reflects the beauty and creativity of God
by its mere existence.
Certainly,
we all have responsibilities and there is no easy, one-fits-all-answer to the
accelerated age in which we live. “Time”
tends to be an enemy far too often. A poem came across the Internet recently that
started out: “I knelt to pray but not
for long, I had too much to do. I had to
hurry and get to work for bills would soon be due…” This poem states a major problem in the Christian’s
life – being too busy to pray.
Jesus
knew the vital importance of prayer. His
journey on this earth lasted only 33 years. Most of us would say he died young or before
his time. In fact, He lived the perfect
amount of time for the purpose God had for Him. In John 17:4, Jesus said, “I have brought
you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” He finished the work He was brought on earth
to do, and it was time to move up and out. Although He lived what we might consider a
short life, He “….had time enough.”
God is
not bound by time and neither is His purpose for your life. How can we be sure that we too will be able to
say with Jesus – “I have brought you glory on earth by
completing the work you gave me to do”?
How?
By using this time He has given us to do
what He created us to do. Jesus knew how
to use His time wisely and He spent much of it communing with His heavenly
Father. In spite of all the preaching,
healing, and traveling, He never became too busy to pray.
We are
told to, “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10.
That’s
the key to “having time enough” -- spending part of it in God’s
presence. When we meditate, praise and
bask in His presence, we are lifted above time and the world. Ask God what purpose He has for your life
journey. “Seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”
Matthew 6:33. If you sincerely seek the
answer, He will show it to you in His time.
If you
cannot yet verbalize what you believe your purpose is, don’t despair. God has said, “Seek and ye shall find”
– in His time, not yours. Learn the
lesson of the butterfly and you can rest in the Lord.
Like
the butterfly, we are beautiful creations with a purpose. Let’s live that purpose for Him and we too
will have time enough.
