A man found a butterfly cocoon.
One day a small opening appeared in the cocoon. 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 go.
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.
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 butterfly needed to struggle.
The small opening in the 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 would never be able to fly!
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4.
Very well put. I like to think I thrive in challenges. It makes life worth living.
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Great story! I think about the financial challenges my husband and I had early on in our marriage. Not only did it help us develop better financial habits, but it also helped us develop a better marriage.
Good story – I like the principle it teaches. It’s good to keep in mind that trials are good for you, even though that’s hard to remember in the middle of them.
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That’s a very powerful story, and sad. Sometimes we try to interfere too much with processes that can just play out on their own and will work out ok in the end. I think it’s important to know when to just “hold back” a little and let some situations run their course. I confess it’s hard to imagine sometimes what certain struggles help with – but maybe a longer-term perspective is needed!
Great story. Thanks for sharing!
Peter,
Your posts always move me! Your thoughts are awe inspiring and definitely as a result of divine intervention. My wife and I whole heartedly enjoy your blog and look forward to your posts. We always pass along posts from your website to other friends of faith and they enjoy your site as well! Take care and God Bless You. Michael M
Thank you Michael, I truly appreciate your kind words.
I remember hearing that story, or something similar and it is so true. I can think back to different challenging times in my life and each one of them made me stronger in one way or another…
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It’s been said that God only gives us what we’re able to handle. I try to keep that in mind when misfortune hits. It strengthens my resolve to not give up. It also makes us appreciate the things we have to struggle for. You don’t appreciate things as much if you have them handed to you. You feel like you haven’t earned them.
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