Yesterday as I was leaving the house to run errands, I noticed a black and yellow butterfly in the salon. I was in awe because I don’t often see tiny butterflies.
Although I was in a hurry to get to the car shop, I put my things down and committed to free the little one.
My first instinct when trying to liberate any flying insect in the daytime is to turn off all the lights the room and open the door. Someone in the salon taught me this trick which really works. Typically, the insect follows the light streaming through the open door to freedom. Usually, the process happens rather quickly- but not today.
First, I tried to coax the butterfly towards the open door by moving towards it and using my hands to guide it- but to no avail. Then, I used an 8’11 laminated card to gently lure my little friend to freedom. To my dismay, every time the butterfly was near the door, it changed course.
The delicate creature seemed to be confused and tense. Who knows how long it had been trapped in the salon.
It didn’t realize I was there to help and not to harm. It didn’t understand how much I adore flying flowers. It didn’t know I was willing to put my plans on hold for as long as it took to secure its freedom. It lacked trust and considered me its enemy.
Things got worse when it began to perch itself on the ceiling and I had to get a chair to continue guiding it to liberation. Eventually, the butterfly entered the land of flowers, fragrant breezes and sun kissed skies.
After which, I grabbed my things and as I left the house, I realized how my efforts to help the butterfly was met with resistance. , I began to consider how much I behaved like the butterfly.
Lacking Trust
Similarly, God loves me and tries to guide me to safety. But when I find myself in challenging situations, I become confused and tense.
Although the Holy Spirit tries to guide me during these times, either I don’t hear clearly or I questionHis instructions. And it’s sad to say but sometimes I don’t ask God for instructions at all because I’m accustomed to utilizing my free will to make my own decisions. Or, even worse I seek the opinions of others over of God’s.
Consequences of a Lack of Trust
Regardless of the reason, I notice when I fail to trust and adhere to God’s guidance, I get stuck in the wrong place, suffer financial losses, get hurt in some way unnecessarily or wonder around aimlessly resulting in a waist of time.
But God has not give up on me and with loving hands He continually tries to lead me in the right direction. Primarily, the root problem is a lack of trust.
A Story to Illustrate This Point
Prior to going to college, the Lord told me I was a teacher. I gasped and said, “ Lord I’ve never thought about being a teacher.” He proceeded to remind me of how I loved being around children and pregnant woman when I was a little girl.
Eventually, I stared college as an major but half way through the process, I started thinking about making more money. I had a few accountants in my salon who were doing well financially, so I got off track and took an accounting class. It didn’t take me long to realize that the accountant lifestyle was not for me so this detour was a waist of time and money.
Likewise, I thought, “I love dealing with people issues,” so I considered being a social worker. After taking 2 sociology classes, which I enjoyed immensely, I proceeded to enroll into the Sociology Program. I soon realized the program was in its infancy and wasn’t ready to accept new students. Again, I wasted my time and money, which put me back at square one- I enrolled into the Education Program.
Remember the situation with the butterfly? Because it ignored my gentle guidance, its path to freedom would have been shorter. Had I stayed on course I would have earned my degree sooner and with less debt. In my last year, I had too many credits, which disqualified me for 2 scholarships; thus, I had to pay for my school fees with student loans.
Trusting God requires leaning on your free will less and God’s will more.