The Butterfly

A few months ago I was talking to my dad outside when out of the corner of my eye I saw a beautiful monarch butterfly sitting on the grass a few feet away. I quickly grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures of this elegant creature, one that typically doesn't stay still to get many good shots.

There it was in all its beauty. The deep orange, the long black lines and white dots on the wings, the furry body. A creature so delicate, so elegant right before my eyes.

But I haven't given you the full picture. This butterfly, though beautiful, was anything but perfect. In fact, it was in what was probably the last moments of its life. You see, it had lost a good majority of its wings and couldn't fly anymore.

It was hurt, damaged, falling apart, and without a hope. A butterfly can't survive if it can't fly from flower to flower for nectar, and a butterfly can't fly if its wings are broken.

So many things that are going on around me lately have reminded me of this butterfly. People who appear to be doing wonderfully at first glance, but underneath they're damaged. They're hurting. They're falling apart. And they are desperately without hope.

As we've been speaking at different churches, my mom has been talking about this very idea. Sometimes we can see people's hurts. Take this butterfly. It's pretty easy to see that it is suffering. But sometimes isn't quite so evident, and often times we present ourselves in a way to make others think we have it all put together even though we're barely hanging on.

I share this with you today as a reminder to both you and myself that we, as Christians, need to be more sensitive to those around us. It's not always easy to catch, but when we take the time to stop and ask someone how they're doing and really mean it then I think we can become part of the healing process. You or I could be the one person who sees someone when no one else does. Think of how that one act could start changing lives...

- Aly