How To Catch A Butterfly?

“Be still, and know that I am God." -- Psalm 46:10 NIV

You can file this little piece of advice under "I wish someone had told me this when I was young!"

In his book, "AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything" Kyle Idleman suggests: "If you’re in need of a startling realization in your life, begin with solitude and silence. You may find that God has been trying to get your attention for a while but you haven’t been able to hear Him. Not because He hasn’t been loud enough, but because you haven’t been quiet enough."

He tells a compelling story about his youngest daughter in the backyard trying to catch butterflies. She wanted one so badly that she was frantically trying to grab it. The more frustrated she was with failure after failure, the more aggressive she became. Feeling her disappointment, he finally explained how to catch a butterfly. "Look," he said, "I know what I'm about to ask you is going to be really hard, but if you want to catch a butterfly, you need to be still and quiet. If you can just stand in the middle of them and be still and quiet, after a few moments, one of them will land on you."

A sweet little interesting story, don't you think? But not exactly earth-shattering. Why does it resonate so deeply with me? I'll explain. As a young father and a rising executive with three precious little girls, I was always chasing the next business challenge, the next promotion, the next accomplishment. I should have been learning how to catch butterflies so that I could share their beauty with my young family. I should have been still so that I could learn to know and love God, all those years ago instead of now.

Decades ago, I often asked my girls if they would "like a butterfly kiss." I remember how sweet their little giggles sounded when I was 30. They're gone now with families of their own, and I'm 70, but just in case they're listening, I still have those butterfly kisses in my pocket if you'd like one. I love you all. Dad.