2022.07.29
“Look at the ravens. They do not plant or harvest or store in barns, for God feeds them.“
Luke 12:24 a, NLT
Monarch butterflies are on the endangered species list. In the east, their population has decreased by 80%, according to NBC THINK. They are faring even worse in the west. The decrease in their numbers is the equivalent of the population of New York City dropping to fewer than 2,000 people.
They are magnificent insects, lighter than a piece of paper, and the first three generations born in a year, adults live for a few weeks. But the fourth and last generation can live for several months as they migrate over 3,000 miles south to spend the winter in warmer climes. They repeat the process in reverse.
I am on planning retreat for a retreat I will be co-leading March 19-22, 2023 with my friend and co-leader. Our working title is Sacred Seeing. Outside the retreat house is a lovely perennial garden, and down the sidewalk is a purple butterfly bush where a handful of Monarch butterflies are feeding. I wonder how Jesus sees them.
A decade ago I would have take great delight I seeing them. But today, what I am seeing through a bigger lens, a sacred lens, is filled with sadness, fear, and thoughts about how Jesus’s words in Luke 12:14 might sound today. “Look at the butterflies and weep. God, who provided more than enough for all life to flourish, weeps for the good creation in a growing crisis. Do unto the butterflies what you want done unto you.”
For the love of butterflies, for the love of the world, look with sacred seeing. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 