Sunday, July 17, 2016

Celebrating Wonder - The Yellow Butterfly

This Saturday morning we packed our family up in our van and drove to be a part of the Youth Production at Barefoot Republic just outside Scottsville, KY. Our 8 year old son had just completed his first year of overnight camp so joining him for that celebration was an awesome opportunity for us.

After we found Nate and exchanged hugs & high fives with him, the rest of our children settled in with their friends and the Youth Production when on very normally.

That is until a wonderful event occurred unexpectedly in the midst of the production. One of our friends, Candace was leading the dialogue on stage. Candace was getting ready to discuss the next "award" to be given, when most of us in the back noticed a very large butterfly making its way through the room. This yellow butterfly had approximately a 6" wing span, and seemed to be thrown around by all the fans in the room. As a number of us noted the butterfly from the back of the room, from the stage with the mic in hand Candace also noted the butterfly, then paused her dialogue and said "what a beautiful butterfly, isn't it amazing." At this point the whole crowd looked up to the center of the room and noted the butterfly. Here is where things get wonderful, and frankly if I was not there, I would not believe it.

Following all the ooh's and ahhh's from the crowd as Candace brought the attention to it, the butterfly seemingly changed directions and headed straight toward Candace on stage. Then she did what any person who had just called out a butterfly from stage in front of 200+ people, Candace switched the mic out of her hand, and held her hand in front of her for the butterfly to land... and it did just that.
That's right, not only did it land there, it stayed on her hand, and the room paused to take in this wonder. About 10 seconds later a elementary aged camper walked up to Candace to retrieve the butterfly from her and the butterfly switched right to his hand. As if he was a dog owner, walking up to a neighbor to get his pet. That wonderful butterfly walked onto his hand and he walked it out of the Youth Production room and set it free.

I looked at my friend who has led this camp for over 17 years and simply stated "Only at your camp Tommy Rhodes, would such a wonder occur." That of course is where I fail. The reality is that every day wonder is all around me. In fact I have a few friends that are in constant search of it, they are relentless that even in the midst of all 'hell' breaking loose in the world we live in, God's creation is still releasing and experiencing wonder.

These thoughts take me to Proverbs 8, where wisdom is reminding it's readers of creation and finishes with this thought in verse 30 "then i was beside him, like a master workman, and i was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of men."

No doubt the world feels broken right now. Media and technology has made sure we are thoroughly aware of those things that are broken. With that said, let me challenge you and I that this unusual story is not unusual at all. Instead let's consider Candace's view from stage, that there is wonder happening all around us each day. As Christ followers we must fight the urge to view the world through it's own eyes of brokenness. Instead we have the right to choose to live like Proverbs 8, to view, to rejoice and to delight in all that is around us, through God's eyes.

That may start simply by choosing daily to celebrate wonder...



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