Happy National Moth Week. Really, this is a thing. I know this because our naturalist son, Samuel, has been staying up late at night and rising early in the morning to go mothing. Not entirely convinced of his nocturnal habits, I checked out the National Moth Week website and learned this: “National Moth Week celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths.”

Beauty of moths? Apparently National Moth Week has not won me over yet. Much to the contrary, moths usually lead me back to memories of the large bug zapper just outside my grandparent’s woodshed door where there was much light and sound as bugs met their demise—but not so much beauty.

I do have to admit though, as Samuel provides me with more photographs and descriptions (such as the Pink Barred Pseudeustrotia Moth pictured on this page with the white and black body coupled with pink stripes going diagonally across it’s thorax) I am beginning to see beauty around me where I did not expect it. In fact, I am finding beauty where I once only saw nuisance—if I had noticed anything at all.

When it comes to the Conference Theme of “Fix Your Eyes on Jesus”, I hope that we are similarly looking for beauty. In a production-oriented culture, it is easy to use fixing our eyes on Jesus as something simply to gain purpose or for the sake of goal setting. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about goals and living on purpose. At the same time, if I am only looking at Jesus long enough to get the next strategic move, is it possible that I am missing the beauty of the moment?

Psalm 27:4 offers this direct reminder: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

Throughout this National Moth Week, it’s up to you if you want to get excited about powdery winged insects. What we are all called to is to gaze on Jesus, and to soak in the beauty of Who He is, and all that He is doing. As we prepare for the Week of Virtual General Conference, may we anticipate the joy and beauty of Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus.

As a reminder, check out all that is coming with Virtual Conference Week at: https://seventhdaybaptist.org/conference-2020/. I am especially looking forward to the daily Bible Studies by Pastor Matt Butler, and the presentations by President Kevin Butler–as we Fix Our Eyes on Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Carl Greene, Executive Director, SDB General Conference of USA & Canada