Butterflies 15

10/21/2026

Given the events in North Toledo, tonight's candle light vigil has been POSTPONED. (date TBD)

10/21/2026

Tonight is our Candlelight Vigil for Survivors of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please come and support women who are or have experienced domestic violence.

10/21/2026

Devotional

The aftermath of sexual abuse often results in an identity crisis for the survivor. As many victims do, I internalized the traumatic experience and became overwhelmed with disgrace and shame. All clarity about my identity seemed lost, and I fell into an unhealthy thinking pattern, feeling dirty, unwanted, unacceptable, and unlovable. I questioned my worth and faded into an identity that the enemy wanted me to carry; an identity that closely aligned with the world’s standards instead of God’s. By constantly doubting my value and purpose, this false perception of myself completely disabled me.

If you can relate, know that there is good news! God pursued and reached out to me while I was in my dark place. God reminded me that my identity is found in Him, my Creator. There is so much truth in the familiar saying, “We will never understand WHO we are until we get to know WHOSE we are.” Your Father loves you so much that He purchased you at the high cost of His Son’s life. Too often, we forget how committed He is to us.

You will not find your identity in the world or the hands of the enemy. No matter what has happened to you, what you have done, or what was said to or about you, you have a pre-established identity that cannot be shifted or shattered. You are unmistakably valuable to God. The Bible says in Psalm 139 that God created your inmost being and knit you together in your mother’s womb. Nobody can alter your identity as a daughter of the King.

Next time you hear an empty whisper that you are worthless or unlovable, allow the truths in God’s Word to combat those thoughts. Remind yourself of the fact you are God’s child (John 1:12), and you have been justified (Romans 5:1). You were bought with a price and belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) and free forever from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2). You have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16). You are God’s workmanship, intentionally created for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). You see, precious woman, you are God’s treasured possession and the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8)!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for adopting the woman reading this today as Your daughter and reminding her that she does not have to search the world for meaning, purpose, or esteem. Please allow the Holy Spirit to gently nudge her back into a place of belief in the person You created her to be. You are forgiving, strong, and merciful, Father! Thank You for all You are. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

10/20/2026

10/20/2026

Good morning this is our Word for today:

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

10/19/2026

Good morning.This is our Word for today:

Why did God allow this to happen to me? Does He care about me at all?

If you have ever asked these questions, you are not alone. When I asked them myself, my mind was a battlefield between what I knew about God and what I assumed He did or did not do to protect me. I felt abandoned by God and questioned Him while trying to make sense of my pain. God had been with me in difficult situations too numerous to count, so I was aware of His presence in my life. However, my hurt and anger prompted me to lash out at God because I felt He could have done more.

Like me, you may reason that God could have stopped the abuse and is, therefore, to blame for it. However, when you blame God, you fail to see the culprit behind evil in the world. Ephesians 6:12 says your struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of this dark world. Satan, the god of this world, is your enemy, and he manipulated your abuser to attack your vulnerability and steal your innocence.

But if God is sovereign, why would He allow abuse in the world? Romans 11:36 says that all things proceed from God and exist for His glory. God’s Word says we will have trouble in this world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world with his Son, Jesus! God can use any tragedy, including your trauma, to work “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Yes, the world is fallen, but you are not of the world, and you do not have to claim its brokenness. God can transform your ashes into a crown of beauty for all the world to see!

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray for the woman struggling to understand why someone abused her. Help her share her anger, resentment, and distrust with You. Allow her to release the truth of her emotions. Father, begin to chip away at the walls she created to protect herself and help her to invite You into her broken heart. Guide her step by step through the good and bad days of the healing journey and encourage her to keep going. Thank You for being a good, gracious, and patient Father. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.6.12.NLT

“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.11.36.NLT

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.28.NLT

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.61.3.NLT

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly

10/19/2026

Good morning, this is our Word for today

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

10/18/2026

Good morning, today’s Word: Lament Is a Language
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?
Psalm 22:1 NIV
God built an entire vocabulary for honest grief. The Psalms are full of raw, unfiltered words that go straight to Him. Lament is a language—truthful, unedited prayer that names the pain directly to God—and He receives every word of it.

Psalm 22 opens with a cry that sounds like crisis. David doesn’t choose his words carefully. He brings God the confusion, the distance, and the feeling that his prayer is unheard. He holds nothing back.

“My God. My God. Why?”

What makes this remarkable goes beyond David writing it. Jesus quoted it from the cross. In the final hours of His suffering, the Son of God opened His mouth and spoke Psalm 22:1 out loud: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 NIV).

God can hold your honest grief.
Jesus used lament language. He let the full weight of what He was experiencing pour out toward His Father. He said the hard thing out loud.

That changes everything about how you're allowed to pray.

Lament speaks straight to God, with everything you've got. It brings the confusion, the anguish, the unanswered questions and points them toward the One who can actually hold them. That's what makes lament an act of faith. David and Jesus both turned toward God in their darkest moments. Lament always points toward Him.

God can handle your honest cry, your anger, your doubt. The Psalms and stories of the Bible show that.

Bring Him what's actually true today. Bring Him the questions with no answers yet. Bring Him the prayer that sounds more like a groan than a sentence. God receives lament. He always has. He wrote the language Himself.

Reflect
What are you holding back from God right now—what part of your grief have you been editing before you bring it to Him?

Pray
God, I'm bringing You the unedited version today. The questions I can't answer, the feelings I can't explain, the prayers that barely make it out. Receive this as the faith it is. I'm turning toward You—even now, even here. Amen

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.41.10.NLT

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ti.1.7.NLT

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

10/17/2026

Hello everyone, butterflies 15 is hosting a candlelight vigil for Domestic Violence awareness month at 8 PM. The address for the candlelight vigil is 2500 Nebraska Ave., Toledo, OH The Refrshing Place church. You don’t have to be a survivor in order to come, be support for those survivors😊 we hope to see you there.

10/17/2026

Amen, yes He does!