Do You Want a Moth or a Butterfly?

 By Ann Weaver.

 

Photo Credits: Ann.

Today I am going to tell you the story of a moth and a butterfly. These insects are often considered very similar. They both fly and have identical life cycles. 

But this is a story of their differences. If we followed each insect for a few hours, I’d imagine we’d see something like this:

 

Twilight falls in a small neighborhood. The darkness blankets every tree and bush as the crickets begin their nightly chirping. In one towering tree, Mr. Moth wakes and lets his wings twitch. A tingling pleasure spreads through his body as he spies a beautiful light in the distance. Its bright gleam beckons him, and its beauty draws him. He and his friends congregate around the pretty glow. They flutter about, dancing and enjoying themselves immensely.

Then the light goes out.

The moths are lost. The glow in the dark dazzled them, and now it’s gone. Not only are they temporarily blinded, but they have nothing to enjoy now. They drift about aimlessly, waiting for something else to amuse them.

When they see another light in the distance, many moths rush to enjoy themselves there, and Mr. Moth joins the rest. The same occurrence repeats many times during the night. Some lights last longer than others, but they all disappear in the end. 

The night seems to stretch on forever, but finally the day comes. By the time it arrives, the moths have grown tired and need rest.

Meanwhile, Mr. Butterfly has remained still. He waited the entire time the moths had their fun, for he knew the time was not right for him to emerge. At last, he is ready to spread his wings. As the moths begin to droop, he rises in the sunshine. The sun’s rays illuminate the colors of his wings, inspiring wonder in anyone who happens to see him. Mr. Moth may try to keep up with him, but he’s already exhausted himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Butterfly has risen with the day, and no moth can compare to him. 

 

By this time, I know you’re wondering why I’ve shared this story.

Several months ago, I saw a comment with this general idea: Boys and men are moths and butterflies. Girls and young women are the lights. We have the power to attract moths or butterflies, depending on the kind of people we are. 

Just as moths are attracted to a temporary house light before the day, some guys are attracted to the prettiest or most flirty girl. Just as the moths in our story find other inviting lights, a guy like that will attach himself to the first attractive girl who gives him a wink or smile. After a while, he grows tired, and he will either waste himself on a temporary light or try to rise in the morning and fall.

When a young man waits for the right time to commit to a young woman, he is like the butterfly who rises in the day. He anticipates maturity rather than flirting with the pretty girls. He seems to miss out as a teen, but in the end, he’s the one filled with sunshine—true light, commitment, and love. Such a young man is honorable and highly admired. This is the type of godly man young women should desire.

A lot of us are still in the darkness of night. Not quite ready for a real relationship, though we may wish we had one. We have to be careful not to appear as a premature light in the darkness, like the lights in the night. Not only as a beacon that leads others astray, but also because those lights are not true lights. Instead, they’re artificial, ready to go out at the flip of a switch.

If we want a butterfly, we must act like the sun and wait for the day to come. Often, we are forgotten or obscured by artificial lights, but we will emerge when the time is right. False lights are pretty and can become all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the sunshine exceeds all other lights when its time comes. Its beauty and attraction never varies, and it’s perfect because it’s God’s light.

We need to remember this analogy as we go about our lives. We must remember to act like the sunshine, waiting for the right time to emerge. We should also look out for the butterflies, the steady young men who wait until they’re ready and act in a mature way.

Remember, though a moth is nice while he’s there, he will later fly on and get lost in the darkness. After all, it’s dark, and he seems to be the only one you can see at the moment.

Though we must anticipate the day before we see the butterfly, we will see true beauty in the unfolding of his wings and readiness of his bearing. It may take a long time, but the beauty of the butterfly's wings is always worth the wait.

 

 

 

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