THE BUTTERFLY STORY

Sometime back I was facing some struggles. Like many I sometimes forget the meaning and the purpose of life's adversities. Without fail not long after a time of struggle, I began to question WHY and started to doubt,  my faith began to waiver. On one such day of doubt and discouragement the LORD lead me to a dear friend who kindly listened to me and simply let me release all that was weighing on me. She treated me with total kindness and never once tried to stop me from my moment of self-pity and discouragement. When I finished dumping all my worries and my tears stopped she Asked me a question that I will never forget. She asked me "Cindy do you know who you are?" and I responded what do you mean? "Do you know who you are, who you belong too?" ..... there was silence, for the instant she asked me I knew it was the LORD talking to me through this friend. The LORD gave me the peace and comfort and outlet to release all that burdened me. After all of my dumping HE knew I would be ready to listen and be encouraged. He used my friend as his vessel to comfort me. So we continued to talk and I felt revitalized and encouraged. Sometime later she told me the story of the butterfly. Friends whenever you begin to struggle and waiver in your faith and need encouragement remember the story of the butterfly....it will help you remember WHY!

THE BUTTERFLY STORY

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 squeeze its body through the tiny hole.

Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and

snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.

The butterfly emerged easily but

it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it,

expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge

and expand enough to support the body,

Neither happened!

In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life

crawling around.

It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness

and haste did not understand:

The restricting cocoon and the struggle

required by the butterfly to get through the opening

was a way of forcing the fluid from the body

into the wings so that it would be ready

for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly

what we need in our lives.

Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.

We will not be as strong as we could have been

and we would never fly.

So have a nice day and struggle a little and teach well.