Last week I was walking along a path that went through an ungrazed meadow. As I walked along I would disturb many butterflies. Unfortunately these were all ringlet butterflies which are dark brown colour and because I had photographed them before I was not particularly interested in them. When came to the highest point of this path and began to descend I stood for a while. There seemed to be ringlets all around fluttering about but rarely settling. It was difficult to estimate their numbers. There must have been ten or more within a few feet of me. As I looked further afield I might there might have several hundred across the whole meadow. But they all seemed to be that dull brown colour. Until I noticed a flutter of light blue move towards me before landing in the long grass a few yards from me. I presumed from local experience to be a common blue butterfly. I tried to stealthily manoeuvre in that direction. But before I reached that point I noticed another male common blue sitting on a blade of grass. I then saw that there was also a female common blue underneath him and that they were no doubt mating.

Likewise in life we often find we have to go through many mundane and often boring routines, in order for the exception to be highlighted. A prospector has to go through tons of gravel in order to get the occasional nugget. When it comes to reading the Bible there are times when you seem to be going through the motions. Take 1 Chronicles which starts with seemingly endless genealogies but hidden among them is the prayer of Jabez. “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!” This has been the subject of several books where people have shared their insights. The fact is that many Christians as they watch or listen to their favourite preachers in the Christian media think that every time they open a Bible a fresh revelation or insight happens. Somehow I doubt it. So we should not be ashamed just because when we open our Bibles we do not get blinding flashes of inspiration everyday. More often than not it can be a slow dawning through persistent and consistent reading of Scripture that we get fresh insights. Last year I published a post (The Father’s Will) based on thoughts on the later chapters of 1 Chronicles where David’s preparations for the temple that he himself had been forbidden to build, but instead told that it was to be done by his son Solomon. As I was reading through these lists which most Christians find boring I realised how much it was the will of David that the temple should be built and that there was also a comparison between what was the will of God the Father and that which was accomplished by Jesus, God the Son. We just have to be sure that we do not give up too soon.

David Rose, 2017.