Butterflies and Elephants

Things are not always what they seem. I know, I know! Your probably thinking that of all people, for some one planning on working in an animistic context like me that is a most obvious statement. You see, I’m use to thinking critically about other people’s lives, particularly those to whom I will be ministering to in the future. What I’m not use to doing is thinking critically about my own life. I’m not use to watching for the Lord’s hand in my life because most of the time I’m too busy discerning Satan’s influence in the lives of other people.
Just the other day as we were soliciting the Cherokee word for “butterfly” our language helper, Ord Dreadfulwaters, offered some extra information. “The word for butterfly and elephant are exactly the same,” he said. “You have to specify which one it is by saying, ‘the one that flies or the one that walks.’” Yeah,… are you thinking what I was thinking? How could they be the same word? What does a butterfly have in common with an elephant? I asked Ord this very question. His simple reply was, “I think it’s because butterflies have trunks just like an elephant.” Just in case you’re not a lepidopterist and not sure what he was talking about, butterflies have a long tube they use to suck up nectar called a proboscis. It is similar to a mosquito’s but they curl their’s up underneath their heads when not in use – hence the similarity to an elephant’s trunk.
It just dawned on me the other day that although Ord seems to be an unbeliever I have given little thought to how I might be used by God in his life. All a long I have been treating our daily two hour language sessions as an academic endeavor when God might be thinking of them more as an eternal investment. How could I have missed it? Well, they look exactly the same so you have to specify which one it is by taking the time to listen to his heart through what he says or by pressing for efficiency in the acquisition of language data.
Just last night we went out to listen to Ord play with his little family band at a fall festival for people with mental disabilities. It was rather awkward being in that place and watching the dancers manage in their costumes. It was particularly amusing to watch a certain old gentlemen, dressed in his cowboy outfit- its hard to tell if that was a costume or not in these parts- dance to old rock-n-roll melodies with the assistance of a volunteer. He could barley move, being all hunched over and stiff in the joints, but that didn’t stop him from jiggling, wiggling, and stomping his feet at random intervals. At one point he squatted all the way down still jiggling and wiggling. We weren’t sure if he just wanted to get down with the groove or if he had dropped his teeth!
Afterwards Ord and his cousin went with us at a local restaurant just to “hang out.” It turns out that his cousin is a Cherokee “reverend” and loved talking about the Lord. Through the discussions he started we were able to share what we believe and not a few times Ord even shared with us about his life and what he believes. We had never had such a candid glimpse into his life. A unique fall festival turned into a tremendous opportunity. All that to say things are not always what they seem or should we say butterflies are not always elephants! For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord!