The Flight of the Butterflies

As the news fills us with sorrow, anger, even terror these days with the stories of the tragic deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona, the riots in Egypt and the on-going healthcare mess, we need to hear the words of Jesus spoken to two elderly women in London in the late '30's and recorded in a spiritually uplifting little paperback entitled: God Calling. Jesus said at that time prior to WWII, but as if speaking to us today: "Do not weigh your spirits down with the sins and sorrows of the world. Only a Christ can do that and live. Look for the loving, the true, the kindly, the brave in the many all around you." (p. 136). Not only is there beauty and reassurance in the people around us, but also in nature to an equally astounding degree. This came home to me again yesterday as I watched an amazing and beautiful documentary on the migration of the Monarch butterfly. The film traces the life-long search of Ed Urquart and his wife Nora for proof that the Monarchs migrate from Mexico to as far north as Canada and over three generations return to their mountain of origin in Mexico. Close up photography reveals the mating, laying of eggs, and hatching of the butterfly as never seen by the human eye. Explanations of how these little creatures manage this long trek make the jaw drop and can only lead to admiration and awe. If God so cares for these little ones, in echo of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, then why, oh why, are we so upset when things seem so out of control? Is not God also aware or our needs, and has he not endowed us with even greater capacities? May we humbly bow in gratitude and allow wonder to lead us to him. There is much to be learned from the flight of the butterflies. Bro. Rene