A Butterfly’s Wings

We have all seen one of these delicate insects with light, papery wings dancing among our garden or back yard, showing a flash of color. But have you ever looked closely at the wings of a butterfly? If you haven’t, you are missing something quite spectacular.

A butterfly’s wings are covered in small, feather-like flecks of color. Each one is in its own place. Just look at how perfectly this butterfly’s wing is! All together, the feathery scales create a work of art on the butterfly’s wings, sort of like a mosaic. I think that is simply amazing. In the same way He painted the landscape, God also painted this insect’s wing.

Out of all the things in God’s creation, it’s the smaller things that can be the most remarkable, perhaps because they are so small. Only a gentle hand, one with care and joy in his work would create something that small, that beautiful. Isn’t it nice to know that it was God’s own hand who did that very thing? I think that we can understand a lot about his character by the care He puts in the details.

But as remarkable as all this is, I was never much attracted to the thought of butterflies until a friend of mine made a comment in church one Sunday. She pointed out that butterflies cannot see their own wings. 

The more I think about this, the more it stands out to me. Butterflies, some of the most lovely insects in the world, don’t know how lovely they are! They have no idea what a masterpiece their Creator has painted on their backs. I suppose that at one time or the other, they must catch a glance at their wings while flying over a clear pool of water, or maybe a car windshield. If I was a butterfly, seeing with surprise that I had something about me that was so beautiful and unexpected, I wonder what I would think? Perhaps I would likely think it was an illusion, or just something that appeared for a moment while I was passing the water. 

But a butterfly’s wings are not an illusion. They are not temporary, ready to disappear in the blink of an eye. They are part of it, put there by the very Artist who carved the mountains out of great mounds of earth and filled the sky with bright, pure light. 

In many ways, we are like those butterflies. Although we can’t always see it, God’s fingerprint is on us, too. He is the Maker of our bodies, or our heart, of our character. Every part of us is perfectly designed, created with the skill of our God’s hand. 

We believe that God made the butterfly’s wing with care and beauty, because we can see its finished product right in front of us. We can see its pretty wings, and we can see the way its colors flash in the afternoon sun. 

Sometimes, we can also see the bright colors and talents of the people around us. We see their ‘wings’ per se, and they are beautiful. Many people radiate the joy of God, or have a true heart for Him. It’s easy to see that they were designed by the Lord.

But, for some reason, it is so much harder to believe fully that we ourselves are so lovingly and perfectly created. 

And the truth is, we are just as tenderly made as those butterflies. Psalm 139 (you probably know it) says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” You once were smaller even than the butterfly, and God molded you in the shape He had designed. He gave you a unique personality, all lit up with little specks of different traits and gifts.

The same God who formed the butterfly’s delicate wings, is the Maker of you. 

Fear not. Your wings are not an illusion. They are not temporary, ready to disappear in the blink of an eye. We don’t have to chase after the glimpses we caught in the glass, hoping it will be there the next time we look. God gave you a beautiful character, but you have to believe it’s there to see it. 

 But if it’s too much to believe that you are made so perfectly, at least try to see it in someone else. The more I observe the people in my life, the more I am amazed at their unique gifts, talents, and personalities. Often, I see God the most in the people around me and not in myself. It takes looking at others (or perhaps at a butterfly’s wings) and understanding how specially different each one is before I see how specially different I am. 

So find how the Maker has amazed you, and then, if you can do nothing else, hope. Hope that he made you as beautiful and loved as he did everything else. Hope until your hope becomes a strong belief in who you are.