What is that??? Aw, it's a butterfly! A beautiful big Monarch butterfly! Uh . . . with a
b r ok e n wing.
I got my mail first, after discovering this sad and very depressing sight--this butterfly unable to fly. Perhaps, I thought, it'll somehow slink off into the bushes and hide and then I won't have to deal with this! But no, he was still there when I returned.
I bent down close to see exactly what the problem was and discovered one wing was cleanly torn away from his body in a couple places, just straight tears. The other wing was okay. Poor Butterfly kept trying to get aloft--but couldn't. After offering some water, (I later learned this should have been very diluted sugar water), I searched online for some help. My choices appeared to be:
1) a 20 step process using contact adhesive and a steady hand (neither of which I possess) and tweezers . . . or
2) scotch taping the broken wing (I didn't have a good feeling about me attempting that)
3) A "mercy killing" by sticking Mr. Butterfly in the freezer. (With a family member who has OCD--this was not an option.)
4) trusting that what I read was correct--about butterflies not feeling any pain when you snip the other wing to match the torn wing and thus, making said butterfly once again aerodynamic.
What Butterfly did after I performed my corrective action, made me think about God. (!) In a response to my careful snipping, Butterfly did the heartbreaking equivalent of putting two arms together overhead to prevent further entry. (Darn! Was it true they didn't feel pain when you do this??? ) t needed to make a second and final snip--but he wouldn't let me in! He had no idea that I had only the best of intentions and meant him only good and not evil. It was necessary for butterfly to "let me in" for me to help fix the problem! I felt frustrated and impatient because it was a life or death situation here!
Does God ever feel that way about us? After part of ourself is ripped away from us--most of us bereaved moms have an "Enough already!" "Leave me alone!" "I don't want anybody to mess with me!" response thing going on at some point along our journey. How often we refuse to let Him even try to help us, as we shield ourselves in a kind of protective cocoon. Like Butterfly, we can refuse to let Him in.
Sadly, things didn't end well with Butterfly. I was able to somewhat forcefully get that second wing snipped--but corrective surgery was a failure and Butterfly ended up being euthanized. I did do something right though--I prayed for Butterfly to have extra special butterfly blessings in Heaven and Generous Giver that He is, (remember how He called Himself "I AM" in the Old Testament?!) I am sure He was accommodating to these wishes.
Luckily for us, every encounter with our Divine Physician is always a successful and restorative Lifesaver! Held within His strong and ever-capable, healing hands--we soar.