Untuck Your Wings

This is one of my favorite quotes:

“O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is!”  

— Macrina Wiederkehr, author of Seasons Of Your Heart

Walking along a trail, you see an unusual and stunning butterfly. Perched on a small branch, its richly colored patterns and exquisite gracefulness invite you to pause and absorb the wonder before you. But suddenly something baffling and disturbing happens. The butterfly tucks its wings in tightly, concealing its beauty. Guessing the butterfly was frightened by your presence, you continue on your walk. Unable to put the strange butterfly out of your mind, you return to that same spot several minutes later. Your heart sinks at what you see. The butterfly still hasn’t untucked its wings. You walk away … sad. How many of us, like the butterfly, conceal our beauty—our true nature and worth?  (continue reading) You  just read about Claudia and Heath. A similar post— Don’t Spend Your Life Being Little— is about Carrie, who found it challenging to stand up  for herself.

Limping, when fully capable of walking upright, is an act of self-betrayal. It’s felt at the soul level—a sickened feeling deep within.

The beautiful images in this post and the previous one, Something Would Be Missing, are courtesy of Tracie Louise Photography.  Her work can be viewed here.