God expresses his love in personally meaningful ways

Friends, I love butterflies. I enjoy watching them. They are beautiful to look at. They have all kinds of lovely pattern and colour combinations. I think they appear graceful and elegant in flight. Additionally, the metamorphosis a butterfly goes through from an unassuming caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly is extraordinary. It is as though one creature is reborn as an entirely new one after an incredibly transformational process. It is inspiring. To me, they are a symbol of hope, beauty, gracefulness, and transformation or new beginnings. Of course, God knows this about me. He knows me better than anyone, better than I know myself.

On three distinct occasions, I sensed that God used my love for butterflies to grab my attention, to make his presence known to me, and to express his love for me in a personal way. The first time was on a Sunday evening many years ago. I was at church and was praying with a few people just before the evening service started. I remember that I was feeling a bit down that day. We were seated in a circle outside the church and as we prayed, I noticed a butterfly flying close by. It was a very windy day and the butterfly seemed to be struggling to fly. I watched as it fluttered along and then it landed in the middle of the circle at our feet.

As I continued to watch it, feeling compassion for its hardship, I suddenly realised something. The colours and patterns on it matched my dress perfectly! It had some brown and orange with black patterns that resembled animal print. For some reason, that delighted me so much. I kept my eye on the butterfly at our feet as we prayed. Its wings kept flapping up and down though it did not fly away. It seemed fragile as the wind blew and buffeted it. Again, I assumed the wind was messing with its ability to fly and I felt sorry for it. Then after a little while, the butterfly unexpectedly flew off without a hint of struggle or difficulty though it was still just as windy, perhaps even more so.

I was intrigued by the butterfly’s behaviour and by how I was dressed the same as the butterfly. I couldn’t help but smile because I felt God’s presence and him speaking through the appearance of the butterfly. It reminded me of Luke 12:27-28 (ERV):

27 “Think about how the wildflowers grow. 
They don’t work or make clothes for themselves.
But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, 
was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 
28 If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, 
what do you think he will do for you? 
That’s just grass — one day it’s alive, 
and the next day someone throws it into a fire. 
But God cares enough to make it beautiful. 
Surely he will do much more for you. 
Your faith is so small!

The second time I felt God touch my heart through my love for butterflies was in January of this year. It was just after my father’s funeral and I was by his graveside with my family. We were saying goodbye just before we headed back home. We prayed and as we started to leave, I remember feeling distressed. My heart was breaking. Just then, I noticed a couple of butterflies. One floated and landed on my father’s grave and lingered there for a while then flew off. I felt a sense of peace and reassurance flood over me. It reminded me of the first incident with the butterfly. I was also reminded once again of the love of my heavenly father. I knew he was right there with me and that he wanted me to know it and be comforted.

The third time was last week Sunday. I was on my way home from quiet time with God in the park and I was talking to him. I was reminding him of a conversation that I’d had with him the week before where I’d been expressing my desire to live with abandoned joy. Just then, a stunning yellow and black butterfly fluttered by me. It then flew towards me, almost close enough to land on my dress. It floated off then flew back towards me. Again, it seemed like it was going to land on me! At that point, I spontaneously laughed out loud in delight. I watched as it flew away, floating nearby for a while before finally flying away. It was a beautiful experience that filled me with abandoned joy 😊 I delighted in the fact that God finds special and personally meaningful ways to show his presence, his love and affection to us!

Love,