“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness….”
During my morning walks I find it’s a great time to not only exercise the body, but also the mind. Last Monday morning found me walking and deep in thought, when I was both physically and mentally pulled up short with something beautiful that intruded my world. There on a damp patch of bare dirt to the left of my path was a butterfly with its wings spread. The magnificent display of symmetrical colour instantly halted my steps and redirected my thoughts to the glorious beauty against the bare grim backdrop of the brown, unadorned earth it was resting on. This butterfly was on display; it was displaying the glory God had adorned it with. Then something very sad happened. As I stepped closer to drink in more of this God designed beauty against the contrasting harsh brown earth, the butterfly snapped shut its wings. The glory was gone. The beauty was hidden from view. The harsh brown earth had nothing on it as before, that was worthy of my gaze.
This whole lesson observed and learned while on my walk reminded me of what we are as believers can be like. We are not butterflies, but God has made us beautiful through the gospel, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, in order to be displayed. Displayed against the dark backdrop of a broken world, we are like the butterfly who through displaying the beauties of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, people will be drawn to that beauty, which is Christ in us. May it never be, that we ever fold our wings as it were and hide from view the beauty that God has adorned us with. We are on display!