A Butterfly Flapping

Category: Current

testimonies from people today

  • Forever Flowers

    Miss G sent me a valentine to share with our readers. Thank you again, my friend.

    Sometimes a butterfly appears disguised as yellow roses with pink edges.

    ***

    MY FOREVER FLOWERS

    rows of a variety of flowers in a store

    The first man to give me flowers was my late father. We had just moved from the projects to a small house on the Southside of Chicago.  The yard had a small garden, with two rose bushes planted in the middle. One was of a rich red color, while the other was yellow with pink-edged petals. Daddy assigned the care of the red ones to my older sister, Ruth.  And, I had been given the honor of being in charge of the yellow ones.  I was so happy.  It would be one of the most beautiful gifts my father would ever give me.

    FROM PRISON TO PARADISE

    For those of you who are not familiar with the word “projects”, they were concrete, cagelike housing complexes disguised as affordable apartments for the poor. It really was designed like a prison. So, when all that you had looked at for most of your childhood was concrete, the garden brought a place of beauty to us.  Even though our little grey house was, easily, the most rundown-looking place on the block, it was still nice to be able to enjoy green grass under our feet rather than stone-cold pavement. It was paradise to us. And the garden made it even better.

    For my sister and me, watering our roses was our favorite chore. But, oh, how sad it was when, after a hard rain, all we could see were clusters of petals on the ground.  The naked stems were a harsh lesson in just how much even the simple forces of nature can turn something beautiful into something plain. 

    But it is also nature that allowed the resilient buds to remain intact, so that when the Spring came, once again, our garden would have two healthy rose bushes filled with beautiful new blossoms. And, we would resume our favorite chore once again.

     But, unfortunately, family problems resulted in our only being able to enjoy the garden for two years.  And my siblings and I, and our parents, were forced to go our separate ways and live elsewhere.  But I always kept a photo of my roses in my heart as something beautiful and precious. I guess it’s true: a girl never forgets her first gift of flowers, especially if they were given to her by her father.  

    LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT

    I would not think of the yellow roses of my childhood until I was in my late forties.  I was now a divorced, mature Christian woman, wondering if I would go into my senior years single. 

    In fact, I was in my late 40s when two older Christian men seemed to show more than a little interest.  But, unfortunately, both seemed to be enjoying all the extra attention they were getting because of the shortage of single, godly men. Between friends setting them up and younger women “batting eyes”, they were in no hurry to commit to just one lady. So, I was just another “option” on the menu. I traded the art of “flirting” for just being friendly decades earlier.

    And, truth be told, all of that courtship stuff can either be expensive or exhausting for someone my age. I would rather just have group get-togethers with those of my generation. No pressure and lots of laugh partners. Agreed? But loneliness and the societal pressures to “have someone” made me anxious about facing the future alone. Still, I was not in any hurry to jump back into what had, in the past, only resulted in a lot of tear-soaked tissues and an empty half-gallon tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

    LETTING THE LORD CHOOSE

    After much thought and prayer, I realized that the only way to ensure that I would not submit my heart to any more relationship-related disappointment and pain was to let the Lord decide for me.  So, I set a Gideon-like “fleece” for Him to let me know whom He, if anyone, had already chosen to be the one to have my heart. So, no matter who it was, I would honor him, no matter what the future held for us. When you trust the Lord completely, you will not be disappointed. GOD gets no glory in our disappointment. Agreed?

    While some may think that it was “putting GOD to the test”, let me encourage them to read Judges 6:36 -40.  The LORD had chosen Gideon to lead one of the biggest military campaigns against the oppressors of Israel.  The supernatural condition of the fleece was not Gideon challenging the LORD regarding His power. He just wanted confirmation so that he could move forward with confidence knowing that His LORD was with them.  Sometimes, that’s something we all need from time to time. Agreed?

    MY FLEECE

    Having to leave my yellow roses was one of those childhood heartaches that I never quite got over.  I guess when you are a little girl, and your daddy gives you something really beautiful, you never forget it.  So, that is what I asked the Lord for. My prayer request was that the one whom He had chosen to entrust my heart to “have and to hold” – that His choice would reveal himself to me by giving me a bouquet of yellow roses with pink-edged petals. That would be the sign that I would be looking for to know that GOD had, especially, chosen him for me. I waited and waited, but I trusted that the Lord would answer my petition in His own way-in His own time.

    APPROXIMATELY SEVEN YEARS LATER

    It would be three states and, approximately, seven years later before the Lord would honor my “fleece” prayer and I would have the relationship answer that my heart was longing to know.  But, it did not come the way that I had prayed nor how I had expected – but it DID come.

    One summer night, I craved something sweet and decided to use my last bit of change to go to the nearby dollar store and get a candy bar.  It was around 7 pm, but the store closed at 8.  Just as I got in the door, I saw a bouquet of artificial roses lying on the floor in front of the checkout aisle.  I don’t know about you, but I am one of those oddball customers who try to pick up fallen merchandise and restore it to its shelf.  I picked up the bouquet and took it to the display wall filled with a variety of fake beauties that looked real. I looked for the ones that matched the ones in my hand, but they were nowhere to be found. It was only after I had done a thorough search that I realized that the bouquet I was holding was yellow roses with pink-edged petals. My heart stopped for a second. But once I realized that they were meant for me, I went straight to the checkout counter and purchased my gift. Finally, my “fleece” had been answered!

    Some of you sceptics may say, “The Lord didn’t give you those roses. You bought them for yourself.”  I can see why you would think that.  But keep in mind that if I were planning to buy them for myself, then why did I go to the store to satisfy my sweet tooth?  And, why was the only bouquet of yellow roses with pink-edged petals lying on the floor in the checkout aisle near the front entrance?  And why did I only have enough money to buy one item instead of both? 

    So, you see – I didn’t answer my own “fleece”, approximately, 7years after I prayed.  The Lord is the One who directed my steps in such a way that I would know, with certainty, that everything had happened according to His plan and not my will. Agreed?

    After I purchased them, I went home and put the flowers in a glass vase, and wrote the date on its tag: 7-8-14.  I didn’t want to forget the night when King Jesus responded to my request by revealing to me, in a way that only He could, that He was His choice for me.  And, please believe me when I say: I am not at all disappointed.  I no longer have any anxious thoughts of being alone as I age because He has, in so many ways, let me know that He is near and thinking of me. I keep my “forever flowers” on the nightstand near my bed.  Every morning, now, when I wake up, and every evening before I go to bed, I can remember that the love the Lord has chosen to bless me with will always be “in bloom” and never fade.

    I AM MY BELOVED’S AND MY BELOVED IS MINE…FOREVER.

  • Be-Leaf and Be Led Blessings

    Thank you, Miss G, for granting me permission to post your testimony.

    ***

    yellow and born fall leaves

    Many years ago, the Lord gave me the honor of working for a well-known international evangelical organization. I had put in an application over a year before I was actually interviewed. The head of their human resources department said that management held a meeting to start hiring as many people as possible for a huge conference for evangelists. When she went to pull out a large file of past employment applications, mine fell on the floor. She felt that it was a “GOD thing,” so she managed to get in contact with me just when I needed a different job. I was in training to be a telemarketer, and within a few days, I knew that it was a bad career decision. That call came just in the nick of time!

    Soon after I was interviewed, I was hired to be part of the conference’s registration department. It was made up of about a team of 20 people. Our duties ranged from everything from data entry, filing, and mail distribution. On my first day, I was assigned to the duty of managing and delegating incoming correspondence from all over the world.

    My supervisor brought me two, maybe three, huge catalogues of samples of letters in different languages written by people from all over the globe. I was to, basically, familiarize myself with them, read the ones in English, and decide which department could best respond.

    But, if it were an application for the conference, I would note the language, attach it to a form from the translation department, and they would forward it to one of hundreds (?) of translators around the world. The weight of that responsibility led to “self-doubt” creeping in without my knowing it. A mistake, on my part, could possibly cost an applicant a chance to participate in an event that would only occur once in a lifetime. I needed some reassurance that I could, actually, do this job. And, within days, the Lord gave it to me in a way that only He could.

    HE KNEW MY FEAR AND RESPONDED


    The Saturday after my first week, I decided to take a walk outside. It was Autumn. This was my favorite season so I took my time looking at all the different shades of colors on as many trees as I could see. Maintenance had not raked up the leaves, yet, and they were everywhere. I went to a pile near me, and began to pick some up for a small collection to keep.


    To my surprise, one of the larger ones had cloaked a small letter that must’ve fallen when the postal person was putting mail in our boxes. So, I decided to just take it to the address on the envelope. When I knocked on my neighbor’s door, I explained to them that I had found a letter addressed to them in a pile of leaves.
    After reading the name, they informed me that the letter I found was not for them. My heart sank a little. But it seems that they had only recently moved there. And, the former occupants of their unit now lived in a townhouse directly across the street. After they pointed out which one, I immediately crossed the street to make a second attempt to deliver the found letter.
    As I was walking, I did notice that the small letter was sent from a reverend. A brief thought then occurred to me that, maybe, this small parcel had been prayed over. Who knows?

    A knock on a door, a glance at the name, and, finally, the lost letter had reached the right destination of the people it was meant for! At last!
    And, my neighbors marvelled at how I came to have found it, and how it came to be in their hands! Only GOD could’ve done it! Agreed?

    This was, indeed, the much-needed encouragement that kept me going whenever I doubted that I could do that work!

    If the Lord could use me to deliver a letter that was lost in a pile of leaves, then He would certainly help me to do the work that He had given me to do. I was now confident that, with GOD’s help, I could get the right correspondence to the right person as long as I made an extra effort to do it. That’s really all that He is requiring of any of us who are doing work that He has already ordained for us to do. Agreed?

    A BLUNDER THAT BECAME A TESTIMONY

    After I became acclimated in my job, it seemed like being able to recognize various forms of written foreign languages had become “second nature” to me. My mind was no longer challenged in distinguishing Urdu from Hindi. It might have been my overconfidence that made me make a mistake that I have never forgotten to this day. Amazing grace? Yes!

    After several months on the job, I found myself in a private meeting with my supervisor and the head of the translation department. Nervous? You bet!

    Supervisor: You sent an application that was written in Italian to our Portuguese translator.
    After seeing copies, I found myself stumbling for words of apology.
    Head of the Translation Department: But, here’s the best part: that particular Portuguese translator was raised by an Italian family. So, he just went ahead and translated it and sent it back. He included a note to let us know what happened.

    The three of us just marveled at how the Lord had brought about an unexpected testimony of His grace through a staff member’s error. What a great memory for all of us!

    WHY I SHARED THIS TESTIMONY
    There may be someone who has just read my testimony who needs to be reminded that whatever the Lord has given your hands to do, just do it as unto the Lord. He would not have given you that work if He knew that you could not do it. Where is glory for GOD in your failure?

    Ask Him for His help…daily. It will come to you. Take lots of notes and refer to them often. And, don’t be afraid to let others help you. When a whole team succeeds, it matters little which member gets the credit. Agreed?

    There is a saying that I have shared with many people over the years. It was spoken by an old preacher as part of his sermon.

    “If GOD has already proven to be faithful, and you know Him to be good, then worrying is foolish.”

    Be wise and stop worrying, Beloved One. He has you…..He has you…..All is well.