Who's a Butterfly?

Everyone thinks butterflies are beautiful. Their wings are works of art and their flight is a joy to watch. But have you ever taken a good close look at the body of a butterfly? Eeww! Kinda gross really. Without its wings, a butterly is just a big ugly bug. And yet, when we see a butterfly, we ooh and aah and praise its extraordinary beauty.

Sometimes I'm a butterfly - splendidly arrayed in all my finery, showing the world my best self, but ugly at the center of me. Ugly thoughts sometimes hide beneath my beautiful wings. When I catch myself with these ugly thoughts, I remember that God does not see the outside of me. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (Samuel 16:7) I have been practicing the skill of catching myself when ugly thoughts like jealousy, resentment, anger, and superiority lurk just outside the door of my mind. I do my best to just ignore them out there. But sometimes I hear knocking at the door and I just race to fling it open, without any restraint. I suppose we all do, and I'm not foolish enough to believe that I will never do it again. But by practicing the skill of recognizing my mistake, I can boot those unwanted guests back out the door quick. I can do it by turning my thoughts to Jesus and immediately asking Him to boot them out for me. I can't afford to let them stay for long because they tend to dig in and make themselves at home if I let them. And I don't want to be an ugly bug.

Three Ways With Jesus

I once heard a neat little story about the three ways Christians relate to Jesus. It went something like this:

Imagine that you are out in the middle of a lake, and Jesus is there in a boat. There are three things you can do: You can swim after the boat, always keeping your eyes on Jesus, knowing he is there if you really need him. Or you can cling to the side of the boat, knowing you are safe as long as you hold on tight, with Jesus right there. Or you can rest in the boat with Jesus.

I don't know about you, but I vote for resting in the boat with Jesus. In fact, sometimes when I need to remind myself to let go of fear and anxiety, I tell myself, "I'm just going to rest in the boat with Jesus today." It's a nice image. I don't even like boats, but I still like the idea.

Most of us, at one time or another, opt for one of the first two choices. We go along swimming with all our might, exhausting ourselves with stroke after stroke, but feeling that we are, after all, giving it our best effort, and anyway, we're pretty sure Jesus will help us out if it looks as if we might actually drown. We can handle our problems. No need to bother the Teacher with this.

Or, we cling and hang on with every last ounce of energy we have. We pray in earnest, repeating the same desperate pleas over and over. We hope against hope. We cling to our faith. Jesus is close by.

But DUH, why don't we just climb into the boat and rest easy WITH Jesus? Our mistake is that we've been using so much effort. It isn't necessary.

The Bible says the same thing in lots of different ways:

"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you." (Psalm 55:22) In this picture you just shrug off that big weight that's on your shoulders and heave it over onto the Lord. Give it to him, and don't go taking it back.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6) Well that one doesn't need any explaining.

"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) In the midst of our anxious days, it's so hard to be still isn't it? But remember this passage, and remember the boat. You can be still.

So as you go about your day today, tossed by the waves and buffeted by the wind, take a breath and remember the boat. It's right there and Jesus is sitting in it saying, "Come, I will give you rest." And not only can you rest easy with Jesus, if the storm continues around you, Jesus will say to it, "Peace, be still." And just watch your sea of trouble and fear become smooth as glass.

Billboards I'd Like To See - Part 2

Billboards I'd Like To See Part I