Butterflies in heaven

Observing multicolored butterflies flittering around is a sight that soothes the soul. With their dazzling wings and heavenly flutter, butterflies are said to be God’s most beautiful creatures. Just gaze at your garden as butterflies fly from blossom to blossom using their hollow proboscises to suck sweet nectar from its flowers. To lift your spirits, you can watch scenes from the blockbuster movie, “Song of the South.” Therein, you will see butterflies lighting on Br’er Bear’s shoulder as he sings along the trail. Such scenes are available on the internet.

During ancient times, the butterfly was a symbol of immortality. It was believed that butterflies represented the souls of the deceased. In the butterfly’s metamorphosis, there are three distinct stages: life, death and resurrection. ‘Life’ begins when the butterfly lays an egg that hatches into a tiny larva called a caterpillar. ‘Death’ occurs when the caterpillar attaches to a twig and spins a cocoon representing a tomb. ‘Resurrection’ follows when the fully-grown butterfly emerges from its cocoon and flies away.

Legend has it that God created the butterfly so that prayers by mortal men could be carried from earth to heaven. Because God sprinkled every hue of the rainbow on the butterfly’s wings, it can be instantly recognized when it flies into heaven. God further revealed to the butterfly an invisible opening in the sky that leads directly to heaven. To ensure that man’s prayer request remained a secret, God made the butterfly mute without a voice or a song.

Trying to catch a butterfly may prove futile, but sit down among your flowers and a beautiful butterfly will light on your shoulder. When it does, share the deepest desires of your heart so the butterfly can carry your supplications to God. Somewhere in heaven is a butterfly perched on Jesus’ shoulder. It has brought a prayer request from one of God’s children.

My parents and grandparents planted lovely flowers in their gardens to draw butterflies to our home. According to Scripture, man’s body must be transformed to enter heaven, but not that of the butterfly. With its diaphanous wings, sprinkled with the hues of the rainbow, the butterfly is already beautiful enough to adorn God’s eternal paradise. Unlike man, the butterfly is a resurrected creature, having risen from a dead larva to a living, flying being. Since the butterfly can soar into another dimension and enter heaven itself, the next time you see a butterfly, send your departed loved ones a message: “Tell them that you love them!”

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