{wings} & {things}: Butterfly Wings

Welcome to my new blog if you haven't yet visited!

I am excited to start posting on a more weekly basis, and really seeking out inspirations, ideas and creativity to share with you all!

I want to begin these weekly posts, with a story of why I find wings to be inspiring...that is butterfly wings. It was not many months ago that I was in Africa, end of May it was, and I got off the plane and walked out into the sticky humid air of Ethiopia. This was a missions trip I was taking through my college with an organization called LIA (Life In Abundance).

Ethiopian Airport

There was no way that I was feeling ready for this 2 week trip to Africa. Not only was the day our team left the day after finals week and graduation, but after a week of much sorrow in losing a dear man that was so vital to me, my R.A. family and school community. So I set out feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, sorrowful and drained from the semester, and some how I ended up walking out of the Ethiopian Airport, whether I was ready or not.

I knew I was going to see poverty, hurt, more sorrow and so much more. But I had no idea what would be the first thing to captivate my vision. As we (my team) began to make our way to the van that would be our ride for the week I couldn't help notice something that fluttered in front of me.

A beautiful butterfly.

To be honest I couldn't of had more peace fill my heart in that moment. Instantly, this butterfly became a reminder for me of God's beauty in the mess. It was as simple as that. The beauty in the poverty, the beauty in the broken, and the hope God has given us.

Three beautiful girls in Ethiopia that just could not withhold the giggles within them :)

So as the week ended in Ethiopia, that visual still reigned in my mind, but our team had a whole new place to experience. Kenya was our next destination, and was going to be more interactive than that first week in Ethiopia. That second week in Kenya was amazing, stretching, growing and powerful. And as our time came to end, we set off to check out the scenic side of Kenya (aka SAFARI). The Safari was breath taking along with very fun. Not only did we get mauled by Baboons(a hilarious story for another time), but we saw so many different animals, took pictures next to a waterfall and sang as many Lion King songs as we could think of. But as we drove through the last stretch of the Safari, we ended up driving through a field of....can you guess it....millions of butterflies.

It was God's way of showing his beauty and redemption over all the people we meet, the places we visited, the stories we heard and the poverty we encountered. 

Ever since then, these beautiful creatures have been that inspiration and reminder for me; thus, to see God's beauty in everything and anything. And every time I see a butterfly, no matter were I am at in my life or what season I may be going through, I can't help but smile at the goodness of God.

May you see wings as not only the beauty in broken but as the inspiration of hope,

{Mere}dith