Butterflies. My Mom loved butterflies. They represent renewal, change, and new birth. We see their change from larva/pupa stages into beautifully colored adults as a mirror to our own rebirth through Christ. We start as lost, fallen creatures who transform into Christ-likeness, awakened from spiritual death into eternal life when we accept our Savior, Jesus Christ. In them we see hope.
Recently my Aunt passed away, and as her daughter, my cousin, was going through her stuff she came across a small piece of paper which had the numbers telling where our grandparents graves were located. They all died many years ago, and were buried along with my Mom's two sisters, and grandparents (my great-grandparents) in two plots in a cemetery not far from my home. So my other cousin and I decided to travel to Calvary cemetery in Queens, NY to see them. I had never been, had never known our grandparents as the died before I was born, and she had not been since she was a child and only briefly knew our grandfather as he passed when she was four.
Sunday was a perfect summer day. Warm, but not hot, no humidity. Bright, sparkling sunshine, deep blue sky and we were on the road to head into New York traffic. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day for our adventure. As we left my driveway and started down my block, a bright orange monarch butterfly flew directly across the hood of my truck! Wow, we were thrilled! It was as if Mom was with us!
Well, the traffic wasn't too bad and after a few wrong turns we finally pulled into the cemetery. After some more wrong turns and a bit of wandering around, we found my grandfather's grave. We were elated. The headstone still looked brand new (most of the stones were quite well preserved), and amazingly it was peach colored! My cousins favorite color. How funny is that! We stayed awhile, peacefulness surrounding us, talking quietly about family relationships and then set off to find grandma. But first a bathroom!
Checking the map, looking at the numbers....where is this office. Then we see a man waving his arms, he need a jump. Okay, we help him out, and he tells us where the office is. We get there and of course it's closed. The situation was fast becoming dire, thankfully the florist owner was open and he told us where the restrooms were and oh yay, they were in the next section, which was where grandma's plot was, so again after a few wrong turns (it's a really big cemetery!) we found the restroom and them another short trek to our grandmother's grave.
We knew two aunts were buried there, but were surprised to see our great-grandparents as well. (Apparently in the 1950's when my grandparents died you had to wait twenty years between burials so that is why my grandfather was not there, instead being in his own grave a couple of sections over.) This stone was peach colored too, delighting my cousin. But it's what happened as soon as we got there that blew us both away. Yes, I know you can guess, a sweet monarch butterfly flew right between us and that peach hued headstone. Imagine our happiness and awe. God is so amazing.
What a wonderful little gift He gave us to let us know our loved ones were in His care and so were we. We left that quiet space so gratified and happy we came. What an unearthly connection. Heaven is real. And our family enjoys God's presence as they await our arrival in His eternal kingdom.
Thank You Lord for this blessed visit. You are so gracious and kind. I love the way You care for us and send us little signs of hope and life. What an amazing Father You are.
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day you can have hope. You can pass from death unto life. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven and adopted into His family. All of us sin, all of us fall short of God's perfection. But any of us can be forgiven through Jesus' work on the Cross. It is our only way to live with hope. And our only way to live in His joyful, peaceful, beautiful eternal kingdom, rather than spend eternity in torment, separated from all that is good and light. Jesus died that we may have life. We can't earn it. We can't do enough good, less bad, pile up some list of good deeds to work our way into heaven. How much is enough anyway? We accept Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. Repent of our sin. Believe what Jesus did cleanses us. Be baptized into His death and resurrection. You can start your new life in God's family today. Speak to Him from Your heart.
John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
John 3:16-17 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 6:40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
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