The Butterfly

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days. (Deuteronomy 33:25)

The Butterfly

Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A man found the 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 was never 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 life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly.

It is tough to understand why we go through the difficult times we go through.  The best way to look at it is to know that God is strengthening our wings to fly.  He is helping us become strong for the moments He has created for us to experience.  He knows what is ahead and He knows what it will take to make it through it.  We need to allow God to take us through some of these tough times, so we can be strong for the times to come.  May you be strengthened in your cocoon and may your wings become very strong.  May you become beautiful in your time and may your experience be a truly rewarding one!

Dear Father God, It can be difficult to understand things inside the cocoon, but I do appreciate the strengthening of my wings.  Please help me to appreciate the tough times when you sharpen my character and help me become more like You.  I pray for all those going through hard times right now.  May Your peace rest in their lives and may Your love be apparent in their lives.

Waiting for My Wings,