The Trapped Butterfly
Stretched above the mailbox, the butterfly hung motionless in mid-flight. Her wings spread out perfectly, like a dead moth pinned in a display case—except this butterfly was alive.
She had fluttered into a spider’s web. Soon the spider would return, to enjoy a tasty meal.
Seeing a butterfly trapped in a spider’s web, what would you do? I chose to free her. Gently, I snapped the web’s sticky threads with a twig. At that moment, I learned something new.
I learned that a butterfly’s wing is more fragile than a spider’s web. Because as I broke the sticky threads, her wing tore away from her body.
I had destroyed the delicate, beautiful creature I wanted to set free.
My compassion, my great strength and even my sure knowledge of the butterfly’s fate?
Worthless.
Getting caught in that web destroyed her.
People Get Entangled Too
Like the butterfly, people get trapped by making foolish choices and often we can predict their future. The high school dropout struggles to find jobs. The smoker gets emphysema. The neglectful father loses his children’s love and respect forever.
Hebrews 12 urges us to “throw off everything that hinders.” Selfish indulgence, laziness, mindless distraction—these things prevent us from experiencing God’s best. Our Creator has dreams for each of us. But we will grow into our destiny only by obeying the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
My Own Struggle toward Freedom
Recently, the Lord has invited me to ‘get used to the quiet.’ I’ve been asking God to use me powerfully and this was His reply. “Maureen, stop turning on the TV, watching movies and wasting time on the Internet. Stop distracting yourself.”
I’m struggling to obey Him.
Why?
Because I’m caught in the enemy’s web. Decades ago I started gorging myself on empty entertainment and now I crave it.
I’ll need the Holy Spirit’s help to get free.
In the sunlight a spider’s web glistens; in the shade it fades to invisibility. So it’s easy to become entangled.
Has the Holy Spirit put His finger on something in your life? A relationship? A foolish habit? A craving? Pay attention. Obey His gentle nudges and God will cut the Devil’s sticky threads and set you free.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every-thing that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
My Closing Thought:
Only our Creator is gentle enough to free a butterfly from a spider’s web.
All images are from Pixabay.com.
Resources:
My devotion “Entangled” has been reused here with permission from the website, “Christian Devotions.”
This website features a devotion by a different writer each day. They also encourage new Christian writers. To explore this website, please click here: christiandevotions.us.
To access my earlier writings on Christian Devotions, click on the above link and then select “author list.” Click on my name, Maureen Puccini, and all my devotions will be listed, along with my bio.
