As
I’ve written here before, every year in October, I usually see one Monarch
butterfly visit the lantana and butterfly bushes in my back yard. It’s usually
the 23-26, but this year on the 15th, while at a standing desk in my
office, I looked out through the French door and there it was flitting around
over a week early (Well, not the same one, but the fourth generation from the
one I saw last year. You can read more about this on an earlier post which I’ll
link to). I ran for my camera, and when I got outside, I realized it was not
just one butterfly as usual, but he or she brought two friends along. Two
beautiful, glorious, unexpected guests.
I
never could capture more than one butterfly at a time, but I enjoyed trying. I
also warned them of a Downy woodpecker I had seen jetting through. He’s beautiful,
but he’s not that nice, and is always looking for a snack.
I
wondered because of the three butterflies instead of one, if there might have been an increase in
monarch populations since I last checked. It seemed unlikely given their steep
decline. But sure enough, when I researched, I found the population had
increased. They are still far below what they’ve been in the past, but any
improvement is good.
These
butterflies appeared during a hard week here at this house, and the first words
that came to mind were those David spoke in Psalm 86, “Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you Lord, have helped me
and comforted me.” The enemy of our soul often whispers that we are alone, but
God in his grace and mercy sends us reminders of his presence and his goodness.
For me, those butterflies were that reminder, and there were not one but three.
The news that their populations were increasing was also an encouragement
because it seemed that the downward spiral was unstoppable.
When
circumstances in our lives for whatever reason seem on a negative trajectory,
we can take comfort in these signs of God’s unfailing love and comfort.
Here is the link to more info about the Monarchs.