My good friend and photographer June was just telling me before I left for Nicaragua that I had to capture images in the moment or I would miss them. She was right … I missed one yesterday that I wish I hadn’t.
It went by so fast. A little boy outside the city dump community was on his haunches in the mud, trash all around him, completely enthralled by a small white butterfly.
The scene captured me and I began to recognize a Voice in my heart, explaining what the image could mean to us all.
Our lives are chaos. In Nicaragua, I see physical chaos and relational chaos, but the States are no different. There is pain all around. You can see it daily in the faces of people you pass. Worry, fear, lack of purpose, sadness … they are all easy to recognize.
But there are those of us who have found Joy and we look different. We draw people to us. We make them forget the garbage around them and remember that there is more to life than the material. They are spellbound by the Joy in our eyes. We can be a great encouragement to them, pray for them, and offer Joy to them in a very personal way.
But we must also keep our eyes on the Butterfly. We have new life that is rare, precious, and purchased for us at a great cost. Yet we become discouraged or fearful, overwhelmed by the garbage around us. We must draw our eyes back to the Butterfly and let its Life and Reality overcome us instead.
After lunch today we had plenty of leftovers and had set our hearts to give them to someone in need. It was so easy. A very thin lady motioned to us from outside the café, and we went to her. We asked if we could pray for her. She wept as she told us she had asthma and wanted to be well. Pray we did, sending her with joyful hope and food. My heart longs for her to keep her eyes on the Butterfly, and for her physical healing.
Right after praying for Luisa, I went into the restroom and dropped my sunglasses in the toilet. Not a good thing in a third-world situation. I shouted out my irritation with that simple distraction, but then saw the soap on the sink and put my eyes back on the Butterfly. What a small matter in comparison!
“And the things of earth will grow strangely dim …” when we set our hearts on Love. When we guard the doors of our eyes and decide NOT to give in to despair or simple, irritating distractions meant to steal our precious, joyful Treasure.
Maybe your glasses will end up in the toilet today. I encourage you to just get your soap out and be glad you have the glasses at all. Then go out and share more JOY.
It went by so fast. A little boy outside the city dump community was on his haunches in the mud, trash all around him, completely enthralled by a small white butterfly.
The scene captured me and I began to recognize a Voice in my heart, explaining what the image could mean to us all.
Our lives are chaos. In Nicaragua, I see physical chaos and relational chaos, but the States are no different. There is pain all around. You can see it daily in the faces of people you pass. Worry, fear, lack of purpose, sadness … they are all easy to recognize.
But there are those of us who have found Joy and we look different. We draw people to us. We make them forget the garbage around them and remember that there is more to life than the material. They are spellbound by the Joy in our eyes. We can be a great encouragement to them, pray for them, and offer Joy to them in a very personal way.
But we must also keep our eyes on the Butterfly. We have new life that is rare, precious, and purchased for us at a great cost. Yet we become discouraged or fearful, overwhelmed by the garbage around us. We must draw our eyes back to the Butterfly and let its Life and Reality overcome us instead.
After lunch today we had plenty of leftovers and had set our hearts to give them to someone in need. It was so easy. A very thin lady motioned to us from outside the café, and we went to her. We asked if we could pray for her. She wept as she told us she had asthma and wanted to be well. Pray we did, sending her with joyful hope and food. My heart longs for her to keep her eyes on the Butterfly, and for her physical healing.
Right after praying for Luisa, I went into the restroom and dropped my sunglasses in the toilet. Not a good thing in a third-world situation. I shouted out my irritation with that simple distraction, but then saw the soap on the sink and put my eyes back on the Butterfly. What a small matter in comparison!
“And the things of earth will grow strangely dim …” when we set our hearts on Love. When we guard the doors of our eyes and decide NOT to give in to despair or simple, irritating distractions meant to steal our precious, joyful Treasure.
Maybe your glasses will end up in the toilet today. I encourage you to just get your soap out and be glad you have the glasses at all. Then go out and share more JOY.
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