The Colorful Butterfly!

Do you ever wonder why you are here on earth?

Well, there are no words to say except Jesus knew who you were before you were born and has a purpose for each of us.

This story is about a butterfly that sees herself differently than others, what she is not aware that she is colorful inside and outside.

There once was a butterfly name Grace, who wanted to spread many blessings to others. She was very shy and kept to herself, but realize that she was likeable because she was perfect in Jesus's eyes. Grace was a great friend to everyone but was missing this spark inside of her. She would look at things the opposite as her friends would see. Her friends names are Skye the Sheep, Jackson the Eagle, Ellie the Ladybug, Cora the Rabbit, Chyna the Pug, and Theodore the Puppy. They loved Grace the way she was! When Grace hanged out with her friends, she could not understand why they were happy and laughing. She has these special friends that are part of her life and will help Grace to be more blessed, thankful, and give to others. One day, Ellie invited Grace to hang out at her place. When Grace arrived at Ellie’s gathering, they were happy to see each other and gave each other hugs.

All of a sudden, Grace overheard Skye the Sheep, Jackson the Eagle, Ellie the Ladybug, Cora the Rabbit, Chyna the Pug, and Theodore the Puppy talking about the mystery stream of this three day hideaway to unplug from the world and connect with Jesus. Her friends laughed and said to Grace, don't be sad, be glad. Look up to the sky and you'll know that Jesus is there, even though you may not see him. Call his name and he will be there for you 24/7. Also, Jesus loves you too!

Ellie shared with Grace about this three day hideaway and the mystery stream. Each day when we were there, we looked in the mystery stream that was so clear and blue, you could almost see a perfect picture and reflection of you. So, think about this Grace, no pressure! Grace said I would like to go to the mystery stream. Her friend shouted hooray for Grace and she started to blush and then everyone laughed. Grace was looking forward to this three day hideaway, even though in her mind she was not too sure of what to expect.

Grace arrived at this three day hideaway and meet other animals as well. They got settled in their areas, meet together, and this group of workers bees welcomed them and shared that during your three days here, this is the time to recharge your spirit and open your heart to Jesus. When day one came, Grace flew to the mystery stream that her friends were talking about. She saw her reflection and noticed her colorful wings but was saying to herself, all I see is my reflection. Overall, her first day was ok.

Day two came and Grace woke up and flew back to the mystery stream and saw her reflection. At some point, she started to get very mad, until one of the workers bee came over and asked if she was okay. Grace looked at the worker bee eye and said no. The worker bee gave some encouragement to Grace and said.

• Jesus cares about everything – big and small.
• He wants to bless you.
• Don't fight Him.
• Be still and listen.
• God has a purpose for your life even if sometimes we don't see it.
• It's the little things we do to help others overcome their fears or pain.
• A smile, a gentle touch, and a kind word can boost up others.
• All things are possible with God when we put our trust in Him.
• Love Him and love one another.
• Be a helping hand for others to grow!
• Remember, God loves you.

After when the worker bee gave Grace the word of encouragement, she said thank you. She went back to the mystery stream one more and paused and then tears started flowing down from her. She couldn't understand why she was crying. Afterwards, she felt good and had this big smile on her face. At the end of the day, Grace was starting to see things differently and began thanking Jesus of her blessings. Finally, when day three came around, the worker bees had a gathering with all the animals and told them as a group that we hope you got something out of this three day hideaway and the mystery stream. Something inside of Grace made her want to talk to everyone. She got the courage to stand up in front of all these worker bees and animals and talk about the experience. Grace shared that when I arrived at the three day hideaway, the first place I went to was the mystery stream, and I was blind and did not see anything, except my colorful wings and my reflection in the stream. That is not true, God gave me gifts, talents, and who I am supposed to be as.

Till this day I am still riding on the roller coaster that goes up and down, but will never change my personality because I see people that like me as me. God gave me wings to sprinkle joy to everyone, show kindness, and to smile. I can do that. When Grace finished her experience everyone clapped and one of the worker bees approached Grace and said, during your three day hideaway, you've overcome and worked on some of your fears. Now you'll be able to help others! Chin up, be brave, and onward. During her time, Grace confessed that she did feel the love of Jesus. I have to say Grace was blind all this time and did not see the beauty until she took the time to stop and to let go.

Jesus sees each person as his child beautiful inside and out. It is the person who decides what they see in the reflection in the stream. Yes, I have to say that we are all blinded because we never take the time to see the good things in ourselves, always the opposite. Also, Jesus will bring people not by accident because God sent these people in your path to help, to show, and to share about their faith, so don't give up on your faith. If you trust Jesus, he will answer your prayers, but at the same time, you have to be patient because things just don't happen overnight! As the writer, this story taught me to have patience, humility, kindness, pray daily, and to let go and let Jesus do the driving!