And He Called Her 'Buttercup'
WRITTEN BY REBEKAH HUMES
You know how people say, “Your life can change in a moment?” I would hear this all the time and always freaked out, anticipating that moment.
When the phone would ring, I would say, “Is this it?” The life-changing moment could be, a health diagnosis, an accident or a confession. Honestly, you just don’t know when that life-changing moment will happen or how it will be packaged up for you.
I am completely convinced there is no way to prepare ourselves for when that package is delivered. No. Way. No amount of worry, anxiety, or control can really prepare your fragile heart for that fateful package.
I know you’re probably thinking, “Wow, thanks for the encouragement?” But hear me out on this, when life gets tough, you are feeling lost, alone, confused, unprepared, angry, shattered and broken into a million pieces, you lose your footing and suddenly the world around you looks much different. Your world becomes bleak and hopeless, you find yourself in the dead of winter in the middle of spring and suddenly, you are DESPERATE. You need to KNOW that someone knows what’s going on. You need to KNOW that someone out there has a plan and will guide you through it. Your desperation will either lead you to shake your fist at God or thrust your whole body at His feet. This moment in time did not come with instructions, instead, it came with an invitation to run into your Savior’s arms.
I accepted this invitation three years ago. My life-changing moment shattered my heart into a million pieces and I spent days sobbing on my bed. The pain that pierced my heart was beyond description. I was incredibly desperate to hear from the LORD. I needed to know that He was with me. I needed to know that my pain was not in vain.
Maybe you felt that call too, Kindred, when your loved one suddenly passed, or your husband confessed to an ongoing affair. Perhaps it was your medical test results. Whatever called you to your Savior’s feet, you understand the pain. The type of pain that seeps deep into your soul and leaves you feeling empty and hopeless. The searing agony that only our Savior can take away by the touch of His faithful hand. No matter what caused you to dive into your Savior’s arms, you understand the depth of torment one endures during life’s interruptions.
As I endured each day my heart longed to hear from my Savior. The agony of my heart was unbearable and I was in dire need. One day, a friend of mine approached me with a cheery greeting, “Hey Buttercup, how are you?” This sweet friend had no idea the journey I was treading, so I mustered up the courage to indulge in conversation.
A week later, another friend called me and said, “Hi Buttercup, how are you?” This friend never ever called me Buttercup, and that’s when it struck me. I just knew with all my heart there had to be a reason two different people called me Buttercup.
That night, I quickly Googled Buttercups. I sifted through countless pictures of these delicate petite flowers. I read through beautiful blogs and informative botany pages and then my eyes scrolled through the meaning of a Buttercup. A Buttercup is a delicate flower that has the ability to survive in the driest of seasons, that no matter how much dirt and sand are piled upon it, the Buttercup still survives.
“A Buttercup is a delicate flower that has the ability to survive in the driest of seasons, that no matter how much dirt and sand are piled upon it, the Buttercup still survives. ”
I burst into tears, for at that moment my Savior had renamed me. He let me know that He SEES me, HEARS me and KNOWS me. The pain I was enduring was not in vain. His new name for me revived my heart and gave me HOPE. I would survive this life-changing moment, no matter how dead I felt. He would give me the strength to thrive through it. When I need His assurances the most, my Savior uses these delicate flowers to speak life into my heart.
Be encouraged my friends, for there is a God who SEES you, HEARS you and KNOWS you. You can endure the pain by accepting your Savior’s invitation to run into His faithful arms. He will reveal Himself to you in a way that will deeply resonate in your heart.
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV).
PHOTO BY COLIN MAYNARD