BUTTERFLY
A man found a cocoon of a
butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched
the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body
through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any
progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and
it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of
the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a
swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to
watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the
wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the
butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a
swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
I asked for Strength. And God gave me
Difficulties to make me strong. I asked for Wisdom. And God gave
me Problems to solve. I asked for Courage. And God gave me Danger
to overcome. I asked for Love. And God gave me Troubled people to
help. I asked for Favors. And God gave me Opportunities. I
received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed!
May God bless you with unspeakable joy, not only in the world to
come, but in this world also. May your path be bright and full of
light everywhere you go. May God tell darkness that it must flee
at your command. May your feet never stumble out of God's plan.
May the desires of your heart come true, and may you experience
Peace in everything you do. May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy
come your way. And, may you gain Wisdom and grow in the Lord
everyday.