While walking the deserted beach, I prayed, “Please forgive me, God, for wanting a loved one’s struggle to be over so that she can go on home.”
I knew it wasn’t right of me to ask this. I usually affirm that God’s got this; that God’s timing is perfect; that I can not play God or question what is between God and a soul. But sometimes I slip and ask for mercy as “I” see it—to some degree, having more to do with my pain than theirs.
That’s when the chrysalis came to mind. I thought about how prying open a cocoon made of hardened skin interrupts nature’s way. Endangers the butterfly’s life. Their journey. It is no different for us, I believe.
It was then that I looked down and saw this fragile soul in the sand. I looked closer. His antennae were still moving a bit. It all kind of broke my heart—so much so that I considered lifting him from the sand in hopes that he might still be able to fly.
Wrong! Have you learned nothing?
Hoping for some new sign of life, I leaned in closer and watched. I took in this vibrant beauty.
Be a witness to life as it is.
As painful as it sometimes is, it is all God’s nature and in God’s good care.
I continued walking and praying for my loved one’s comfort on her journey. I asked for comfort and guidance for her boys, and for God’s grace that I might be able to be a loving support.
And, I pray now for you—for God’s peace and comfort for you too.