Do you know the feeling of taking something amazing for granted until God opened your eyes? This was the case for me when it comes to butterflies. While I have always appreciated butterflies… their journey from an ugly, crawly thing (sorry caterpillars!) to a beautiful, flying work of art… I never really gave these insects much more brain space than that.
It took a garage makeover (I’m a professional organizer and LOVE garage makeovers!) to transform my view of butterflies. Yes, a garage makeover… nothing like a dirty, dusty, cluttered garage to change my point of view. As my client and I were wrapping up and performing a final sweep, a butterfly caught us both by surprise. It landed on a table right in front of us, begging for attention. We paused and looked at each other as if there was a bigger lesson to be learned here and then went back to work. I received a text from my client the next day. Included with a picture of a butterfly was the text: Butterflies are a symbol of HOPE! And… there it was… the bigger lesson.
From that day on, whenever I see a butterfly, I think of HOPE. The sight of a butterfly makes me pause while I enjoy watching one dance. Yes, they don’t just fly, they dance. Their symbolism of HOPE is now a beacon of light for me when darkness creeps in. As I further pondered the butterfly symbolism, I found comparisons to my life’s journey. Before I became a believer and follower of Jesus, I was that caterpillar crawling around with my eyes looking down. Caterpillars seem to move aimlessly, without purpose or passion… content finding a leaf to nibble on. Once again, I was reminded of myself, wandering aimlessly while looking for the next leaf… not my purpose or passion, but… a leaf!
When a caterpillar has his fill of leaves, something begins changing within. He stops crawling and starts cocooning. Here is where he stays for a while. He is in meditation mode. The world outside him could be on fire and he is totally unaware. THIS IS HIS HUDDLE! And… there it is… another lesson. As the caterpillar is HUDDLED in his cocoon, he is changing… not just losing an ounce or two… he is experiencing a TOTAL transformation! In his HUDDLE, his identity is morphing into an entirely new creature… one that will be the exact opposite of his former self.
We can gain a lot from the caterpillar’s HUDDLE experience. Like caterpillars, we humans can crawl from leaf to leaf, accepting life as it is. We tend to look down, content with our surroundings. It’s not until we get into our cocoons (our HUDDLES) that we are able to change our perspectives. Our HUDDLES give us the time needed to pause and search within ourselves, even when the world around us is on fire. Our HUDDLE time with God… whether it’s in prayer, His Word, or embracing the power of His Spirit… enables us to find what truly matters in our lives. We find what brings us JOY, what gives us HOPE. When we attain a perspective focused on HOPE, we can find our Godly purpose and passions. We find gratitude in the LITTLE things that lead to BIG dreams. We unlock our potential, discover our passions, and determine our purpose. It is during our HUDDLING that we find our HOPE.
From our HUDDLES, we emerge a new person with a HOPE perspective. We are no longer content with a branch or stem because we can now fly! As we fly, we see the world’s beauty and infinite possibilities. This viewpoint is filled with infinite desires, infinite dreams, infinite… HOPES. As humans, we differ from the caterpillar in that we can transition in and out of our HUDDLES indefinitely. We don’t just have that ONE butterfly moment… we have INFINITE butterfly moments! Just think about it… anytime we feel our HOPE waning, we can go to a quiet place, HUDDLE for a while, and get closer to God. I feel a great sense of peace (and HOPE) knowing that I have butterfly moments just waiting for me to experience.
Zig Ziglar talks of HOPE: as the engine of your attitude and… your attitude determines your altitude. In other words, HOPE enables you to soar! There are no limits to how high you can fly when you have HOPE in God as your power source. The sky is the limit when you focus on HOPE. You find HOPE in your HUDDLE moments. HUDDLING is as important as breathing, so take time to HUDDLE with God. Your HUDDLE time will inspire you to soar with HOPE. Your HOPE in God is the wind beneath your wings.
Connect with Christian service providers: www.christianhomehopeconnection.com
GO The Smile Mile: Amazon.com: The Smile Mile: 9781512744255: Stuart, Hope L.: Books
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