When I was a little girl, I was standing with an adult, looking at the neighbor’s beautiful flower garden that ran alongside their red brick wall. Suddenly, one of the flowers lifted into the air and fluttered over to another flower.
Startled, I asked the adult I was with if that was a flower. “No,” he said, “That’s a butterfly.” Up to that point, I had not noticed them. Fascinated, I asked him why they call it a BUTTERfly – imagining in my mind that it must have evolved out of a stick of butter.
He gave me some lame answer that made no sense and didn’t explain where the stick of butter came into the picture. (Not understanding that the word butter, in this case, was not the same thing as I was picturing.)
As I stared up at his face, completely puzzled by why he had given me such an off-the-wall answer, I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I’ll have the answer and know what a child is asking.”
Not that I’m a true ‘smarty-pants’ mind you, (even though sometimes I think I’m quite brilliant), I just like to have answers to things that people take for granted.
This is my journey … Let me clarify. This is MY journey. It wasn’t yours, isn’t yours. I can’t walk your journey. I can only walk mine and what I’ve learned from my journey. I’m sharing here because it might help you in walking out yours, or at least create curiosity in you to ask some questions that will give you answers that you can in turn share with me.
We are all on our individual journeys. Each of us thinks, feels, and acts differently according to who we are and who God created us to be. Our languages are different and our cultures are different. I’ve learned some nasty things about myself – and about others around me.
More than anything, I’ve learned to forgive … forgive me AND forgive others. Okay, clarification again. I’m LEARNING to forgive myself … and others. I have good days, and I have bad days.
As I share my thoughts, stories, and journey with you, I want to assure you of something you will have to contend with.
I can guarantee you that I will offend you. It’s inevitable. I get offended too and yes, I have buttons that get pushed when I least expect it.
Let’s just agree to disagree and leave our sticks, knives, guns, and bazookas at the door, okay? None of us is perfect and no one has all the answers except He who created us. I’m only sharing MY journey with you … and without a doubt … I am Gratefully Redeemed.