ODJ: butterflies and breathing
June 7, 2011
At best, each of us is but a breath (v.5).
READ: Psalm 39
As I stepped into The Butterfly Garden, a room populated with 800 colorful-winged beauties, a black and yellow specimen landed on the front of my shirt. We eyeballed each other. It wasn’t going to budge. Now, I’m not a huge fan of anything that resembles an insect—especially when I’m wearing it like a corsage, and especially when it’s the size of my hand. My instinct was to flick it away, but we had been warned not to touch the butterflies because of their fragile nature.
Life, like butterflies, is fragile. David said, “at best, each of us is but a breath” (Psalm 39:5). While meditating on our mortality may be somewhat of a downer, it is important to remember that our lives are fleeting (v.4).
Accepting our mortality keeps us humble. Eternally speaking, our plans for greatness and financial gain amount to nothing. James told a story about people who were heading off on a year-long business trip. Before departing, they bragged about the money they would earn. James challenged them: “[You’re] here a little while, then [you’re] gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:14-15).
As James stated, our earthly lives continue because God sustains us—one breath at a time. Remembering this can help us to be thankful. When I’m neck-deep in a challenge, I sometimes think, “Well, at least I’m still breathing.” We can maintain a spirit of gratitude because “the life of every living thing is in [God’s] hand, and the breath of every human being” (Job 12:10).
God signs off on everything in our lives—from our future plans to our last breath. Humility and thankfulness are appropriate responses to a God who knows we are like “a traveler passing through” this life (Ps. 39:12).
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Why do we often overlook God’s provision of life and breath? How can we avoid arrogant optimism as we make plans for our lives?
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS FeedRelated
ODJ: it feels so right
October 13, 2010 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (v.12). READ: Proverbs 14:1-12 In 1977, singer Debbie Boone recorded “You Light Up My Life.” The song quickly shot to the top of the charts and became one of the biggest hits in the 1970s. While [...]
ODJ: coyote wild
August 12, 2010 You have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do (v.12). READ: Romans 8:2-14 I live in a neighborhood where people mow their lawns, plant flowers, and clean up after their dogs. But sometimes at night, we hear eerie noises. I’m not talking about the neighbor’s beagle yelping at [...]
ODJ: The Stories We Tell
April 27, 2012 You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught (v.14). READ: 2 Timothy 3:10-17 I’m often disappointed with childrens’ Bible story books. They usually paint a sugary picture that presents the Bible as a very safe and manageable book. Often you get a collection of brief moralisms that you could get [...]
ODJ: our own making?
August 20, 2011 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong (v.7). READ: Colossians 2:6-19 As a teacher, I find the Middle Ages to be both fascinating and disconcerting. A fixed pillar of the literary canon, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales vividly shows the reliance [...]
Christian Courses
Day Of Discovery
Discover The Word
Discovery Series
Help For My Life
My Utmost For His Highest
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Journey
RBC Ministries
WarungSateKaMu
Manasociety
雅米
we can commit our lives in2 Gods hands and folow hs leading…b stil and knw dt he’s God…