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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: FRAGILE (02/23/17)
FRAGILE

Where is Your Focus?



Today was 'delivery day'! Robert Berkin could hardly wait. After months of preparation, finally meeting the stringent requirements for housing, proving the sustainability of necessary food supply, and receiving confirmation that he would participate in this valuable project, Robert, frustrated, paced up and down in his basement laboratory.



He checked his watch again. The dispatch had said sometime after 10am. It was already 10:45. Where were they? Ding! Ding! Dong! Using only every second step Robert opened the front

door. There it was at last – the long wait was over.



Placing the package very gently on the hall table he signed the necessary paper work, thanked

the delivery person and closed the door. Leaning against it he gave a big sigh “ I hope everything is alright” he thought. “Well there's only one way to find out”



Tenderly picking up the box covered with 'Fragile' and 'This Way Up' stickers,

he watched carefully where he put each foot as he descended to his place of research.

There had been many projects he'd worked on over the past 35 years but this promised

to be the most rewarding as far as he was concerned.



Trying not to let his hands shake, Robert gently removed the paper wrapping to reveal a mesh cube. Taking a deep breath he undid the little catch and peered inside. There they were a male and female Palos Verdes blue butterfly – alive!



He swallowed hard as he realized he was looking at one of the rarest creatures on the planet and he was involved in a 'mass rearing project' to stop their extinction. He had carefully tended plenty of 'yellow flowering deer weed' plants which were the butterflies larval plant food and their large enclosure would ensure plenty of fluttering space. To doubly excite him there were eggs on the piece of deer weed included in the mesh box*.

-------------------

In 1982 the city of Ranchos Palos Verdes, California wanted a new ball park and bulldozed

the area only to discover it had destroyed the larval plant food for the Palos Verdes blue butterfly.

This supposedly contributed to the near extinction of the butterfly. However in 1994 it was rediscovered and a 'mass rearing' project commenced. In 2008 there 2,400 butterflies

and strategies put in place to protect their survival.*

–------------------

A community's desire for sport/pleasure nearly caused the extinction of one of God's

fragile creatures. A silvery blue butterfly with only 25-30mm wing span. It is non-migratory

and only lives for 5 days as an adult.



Today there are so many attractions and temptations vying for our attention we can forget how fragile our own lives are. The Bible reminds us in Psalm 144: 4 “Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.” Father God promises to meet our needs here on earth but more importantly there is a special place prepared for His followers in eternity. 'Jesus told them “ Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so” (John 14: 1-2).



Let us continually examine our main focus and make sure that for the length of our 'fragile

life here on earth' our heart is for the Lord Jesus - then we can be secure in the knowledge

we will share eternity with Him.

*Fictional based on some fact. Name changed.
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This article has been read 707 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Graham Keet 
03/03/17
Some very interesting facts about the butterflies. I liked your comparison to the frailty of man in your conclusion. Perhaps the general flow of the article could be improved if you could combine the fact and the fiction into one compete story.
Larry Whittington
03/06/17
You used an interesting story to help the reader focus on your focus.

Nicely done. If we are not faithful till death, we are not focused.
Dennis Gallemore
03/06/17
Interesting story, all the more so since it's based on a real situation. I agree with another reviewer that a more fluid blending of fact and fiction would have improved the story. Keep calm and write on!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/07/17
You have a lot of good things in this story. Your beginning creates a sense of suspense that pulls me in right away. I was eager to read and find out what was in the box.

Be sure to proofread your entries before submitting. You were missing punctuation (Periods or commas go inside quotation marks.) You can put thoughts and onomatopoeia (ding dong) in italics.

I think you nailed the topic. I liked your message, but the transition from the story to the devotion part could use a bit of smoothing out. Overall, you did a fine job. Keep writing and I urge you to read and comment on as many other entries as possible.
Phillip Cimei
03/08/17
I liked your story. I felt that you did a good job of drawing me into it. Some good scriptural thoughts. Spend more time on editing the next story. It will come out with a cleaner format and less grammatical errors. I will watch for your next piece. I anticipate a really good story. God bless.
Bonnie Bowden 
03/08/17
I am glad scientists were able to resurrect the Palos Verdes blue butterflies.

Your information was very interesting, but the transitions were somewhat awkward.
Bonnie Bowden 
03/09/17
Congratulations on your 1st place in the Beginners Category, Linda. Now you like butterflies can take flight to the Intermediate category.
Deborah Cooke
03/25/17
It is so true that something that can draw our attention (focus) and captivate us is not always an evil in itself, but has the potential same end result. Great ananology.
Robert Rutaagi 
03/29/17

This article was excellently written. The tittle was superb, and so were the tone, diction and content. You surely deserved the new level. Thank you for ministering to me and many others.