When butterflies hatch at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, they do so in an indoor tropical paradise perfectly suited to meet
their every need. The temperature is perfect. The humidity is perfect. The food
is a perfect balance of calories and nutrition to keep them healthy. No need to
go elsewhere. Yet some butterflies see the bright blue sky outside the
conservatory and spend their days fluttering near the glass ceiling far away
from the plentiful food supply.
I want to say to those butterflies, “Don’t you know everything you need
is inside? The outside is cold and harsh, and you will die within minutes if
you get what you are longing to have.”
I wonder if that is the message God has for me. So I ask myself, Do I
look longingly at things that would harm me? Do I use my energy to gain what I
don’t need and shouldn’t have? Do I ignore God’s plentiful provision because I
imagine that something just beyond my reach is better? Do I spend my time on
the fringes of faith?
God supplies all our needs from His riches (Phil. 4:19). So instead of
striving for what we don’t have, may we open our hearts to gratefully receive
everything we’ve already been given by Him.
Our needs will never exhaust God’s supply. (RBC)
