Butterflies

I was sitting on our terrace this morning, eating my breakfast, when I noticed hundreds of butterflies passing by.  My husband remarked that the really hot day yesterday may have influenced this event.

As I watched them, fascinated, I couldn’t help but draw analogies between the journeys which these butterflies were taking and the journeys of our lives.

They seemed to be all heading in the same direction from roughly north to south.  There were groups of different colours and sizes – small yellow ones and white ones with black surrounds, medium sized blue and black ones and orange and black ones, and large black and white ones,.

Some seemed to be travelling in groups, some all alone.  Some danced around in pairs, as if in a game of chase, not really taking much notice of the journey at all, but still heading forward as they played.  Some seemed in a great hurry to get to where they were heading, whereas others stopped to smell the flowers along the way.

Others seemed in no hurry at all, seeming to just be taking in all of their surroundings and enjoying every moment of the journey.

Some were heading in the right direction, then would all of a sudden seem distracted by something, and start heading back in the direction from which they had just come.  On one occasion, I saw another butterfly go after its mate and seemed to redirect it back in the right direction again.  Some seemed to turn back for a while, only to think better of it after a short sojourn.

We had to go out for a while after breakfast, and I noticed that, even a few suburbs away, the butterflies were on the move.  After we returned home, I noticed that some of the stragglers seemed to be in an awful hurry to catch up to those who had gone before.  Others acted as though they had travelled this road before, and seemed to know that there was no need to rush.

As I learned from A Course in Miracles, our journey through time and space is merely a journey back to God.  In truth, we never left God, but we believe that we are separate from her.  God has allowed us free will to choose our journey though time and space, but the call to return to God is so strong, that it is built into our being.

When a traumatic event occurs in our world, we not only feel the call to journey forward, but we are also propelled by our desire to escape from the discomfort from which we have come.

God’s spiritual children come in all shapes and sizes, and many different colours, but even though our appearances may be different from one another, our essences are the same.

Some of us find a way to journey towards God in groups, such as religions, whereas others find our way alone.

Some people are so busy playing and enjoying life that they don’t notice that they, too, are heading towards God.  If someone suggested it to them, they probably would protest, but to the outside observer, it is quite obvious.

Some of us take life very seriously, and are determined to get to God as soon as possible.  Others know that “all roads lead to Rome”, so it doesn’t matter if they take a detour along the way.  Some old souls understand that God is all around them, so they are happy to take in all of their surroundings along their journey, as they know the destination is assured.

Some people turn back, because they are frightened that where they are heading may be worse than where they came from.   Some take what seems to the rest of us to be the wrong path, when in fact it is just part of their desired journey which will eventually lead to God.  They might be like the stragglers, and get a spurt on at the end.  Some people would really prefer to be heading forward towards God, but need one of us to head back in the other direction with them for a while in order to remind them that this way is best.

So if you see someone heading in what you think is the wrong direction, please remember this analogy.

We cannot easily judge the path of another being.  What we can do is show them the path that we are taking, and ask them if they would like to join us.  If we see them take what seems like a wrong turn, we can follow our internal guidance, to know if we can help them to move forward, or if they need to follow that path to its conclusion before turning back to God again.

No matter how the journey looks to someone else, there is no way that we can miss our mark.  There is only one final destination.

When you see a colourful butterfly passing by, remember that, just like us, it too is heading back to God.

God in His knowledge is not waiting, but His Kingdom is bereft while you wait.

Delay does not matter in eternity, but it is tragic in time.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net