Broken and Beautiful

A few weeks back something caught my eye as I was coming out of the house. Or maybe going in. Who remembers! I saw something strange flying across the sky. I quickly determined it was a butterfly, but it didn’t look right.

It was bouncing as it flew. It would fly high, then low, making a tipsy path toward the garden. My curiosity was instantly on high alert and I had to find out what was wrong with this butterfly.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket as I headed toward the flowers the butterfly had targeted. I saw that it was a common giant swallowtail, but there was nothing common about this butterfly.

The swallowtail was missing it’s tail, one of them anyway. In fact, it was missing a large percentage of it’s wings. They appeared to be ripped off and at first my heart broke for this little beauty. What kind of trauma had the poor thing experienced?

The more I watched, the more amazed I was. Poor little thing nothing, this butterfly was amazing! It probably could have curled up and given up, but it just kept flying. I watched as it flitted from flower to flower, eating away as if nothing was wrong.

This butterfly had to work harder than other butterflies. I’m sure it takes much more energy to fly and it has to adapt to it’s injuries, doing things a little differently than it used to. I’ve never seen a butterfly survive an injury to this extent, but survive it did!

Oh how I love this butterfly. It didn’t give up or give in, and neither should we. What an inspiration to all of us!

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When we go through hard times, and we will, we can take a lesson from this giant swallowtail. We can adapt too. Life might look different, but it’s still there for the living.

This butterfly may be broken, but it’s still beautiful. In some ways, it’s even more beautiful than before. It has a story to tell. It’s unique. It’s a fighter, a survivor, an overcomer.

I want to be like this butterfly, and with God’s help, I can be. And so can you! In Joshua 1:9 (ESV) God tells Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God’s command was specifically for Joshua, but I believe it’s an encouragement for us today too. You see, when we have a relationship with God, we’re filled with the Holy Spirit and united with Jesus Christ. When we live united with Jesus, He helps us be strong and courageous. We don’t have to be afraid because He’s with us. We can be sure Jesus is with us wherever we go because we’re one with Him. It’s a beautiful thing!

When life beats us up, Jesus picks us up and cleans us up.

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What battles are you facing right now? Have you asked Jesus to help you be strong and courageous? If not, take time and do that right now. And if there’s a way I can pray for you, please leave me a comment and let me know how. I would be honored to pray for you.

Until next time,

Josie