The butterflies are gone now, but this one with pollen dusted wings posed for me just before his
exit.
I’m no expert, but I believe it’s a Red Spotted Purple.
When the butterflies have flown, the garden sleeps―the
four o’clocks die back, the roses close up shop.
Flowers drop their seeds, which lie dormant until temperatures and rain bring them to life in the spring.
That Red Spotted Purple will spend the winter as a larva and emerge again when temperatures warm.
My Japanese Magnolia like many flowering trees has already set its buds
and will be the first tree to flower next February or March right along with the daffodils.
So when the butterflies have flown, the promise remains. When fall sets in for good, and winter looms ahead, it’s good to remember spring will once more roll around and all that’s happening now is setting the stage for what will happen.
In our lives, when all the bright colors seem to have disappeared, God’s
promises remain to keep up our hope.
A few to ponder:
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be
shaken . . . “ (Psalm 125:1)
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and
are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10).
“The Lord is my light and my salvation―whom shall I fear?” (Psalm
27:1).
“He has sent me . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of
ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead
of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1,3).
“We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure.”
(Hebrews 6:18).
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal
glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but
on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
When John Newton wrote Amazing Grace, he included a line, “His word my
hope secures.” That line comes from Psalm 130, “I wait for the Lord, my soul
waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Newton knew the power of God’s promises.
If the butterflies seem to have gone for you, make your own list of
promises. I chose the ones above from many promises underlined in my Bible and
if I had to choose my top ten, there would be way more than ten in that list.
Again, I use one of my
favorite quotes from Priscilla Shirer, “God is at work right now doing something
for you that you cannot do for yourself.”
Keep up your hope, friend, even when you can't see.
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