Yesterday was one of the best days I have ever had. Joy, love and laughter filled the entire day and my heart was filled to the brim. We finished another week of ministry, had a restful Sabbath (which is Saturday), enjoyed the beautiful church service and then enjoyed adventure day on Monday! For adventure day some people went to look at waterfalls, others learned how to surf and then myself and three other ladies went zip lining! It was absolutely incredible! The views, the guides and the thrill of flying through the jungle while overlooking the ocean is something I will never forget.
After our adventure of zip lining, we came back to have our own team time. Every night we all have team times to discuss the day and how everyone is doing, and honestly to just spend time together doing whatever sounds enjoyable. Last night we decided to go out to eat, and then come back to the base. We have been taking turns sharing our testimonies, and my sweet friend Ashley was supposed to share hers before me but she insisted that God was telling her I needed to go first. I freely accepted and shared my testimony last night with my sweet friends on my team, and only The Lord could have created such a beautiful and sweet memory as last night was. Now when we share our testimonies within our teams, after that person is done, we each take turns speaking a truth that we believe God is wanting this person to know.
So before I go any further, here is my journal entry from January 22nd. We just finished having a really sweet worship session and I simply wanted to know what God thought about me, or what He saw when He looked at me. I’m still learning to listen to His voice and see the pictures He gives me, so I was thrilled when I saw something!
Keep this in mind because its important!
So for days this was in my journal, and I mentioned seeing this to two of my teammates but for some reason not to Ashley. Which is strange because we talk constantly and are conjoined at the hip practically! Anyways, I put a note in my phone to look up what the meaning of a butterfly could possibly mean, but never got around to actually looking it up. In all honesty, I kinda forgot about it. So after I shared my testimony, Ashley was the first to speak her truth; and my jaw hit the floor and I may or may have not screamed multiple times out of excitement. Remember, she didn’t know about my journal entry…but God used her tremendously!
I had to record her answer word for word because it is so precious and meaningful and I didn’t want to miss any part of it. Here was her exact response ” First and foremost this is not me, this is entirely God speaking this truth. You are beautiful, truly beautiful. It has just hit me like a train. I saw a butterfly and I saw a caterpillar. And the butterfly is the complete opposite of the caterpillar. Like you are the complete opposite of everything that has happened to you. And at some point there’s a choice, and a lot of people give in to what they’ve been through and become what hurt them, but you did the opposite. And I saw a meadow full of butterflies, because it’s not just one way that you’re different, but in so many little ways you’re the exact opposite of everything that has tried to be put on you and the opposite of what’s happened to you. And that is so beautiful, that transformation is so powerful. And then you asked me what color it was and I didn’t really know because I didn’t really see a color. And as you started talking God showed me the word yellow and kept saying “it’s yellow it’s yellow” and then you said you saw yellow” Ya’ll I freaked out because she had NO idea about this at all!! We spent last night talking about what this could mean, and I finally have answer.
The butterfly in the Christian religion is seen as a symbol of resurrection, change, hope and life. Yellow represents the joy, the presence of God and His anointing.
All throughout my life, whether good or bad situations, He has been faithful. I think He has transformed me from a caterpillar into a butterfly, and I’m able to fly around spreading His goodness and His love and life to others; like butterflies do to flowers. He has transformed me from the inside out, and I’m forever grateful.
I love you all.
