The Cocoon

Last week I was exploring the Blogospere and came across a blog devoted to nothing but motivational stories, some short, some long, some interesting and some ho hum boring.  The following story I would like to pass on.

Cocoon:

One bright day a man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  Intrigued with his find he brought it home to observe.  After a time a small opening appeared in the cocoon.

Excitedly the man watched for several hours as the butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed the butterfly could no longer make any progress.  It appeared as if the butterfly had gotten as far as it could, and simply could go no further.

The man took it upon himself to help the butterfly and took a pair of scissors and ever so gently snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could easily emerge.

As the butterfly emerged, the man was surprised at the form of the butterfly.  The poor things body was swollen and small, its wings were shriveled.

What the man did not understand is that the butterfly needed to struggle through the restricting cocoon to be able to fly.  The butterfly must push its way through the tiny opening to force the fluid from its body and wings.  Only by struggling through the opening can the butterfly's wings be ready for flight once it emerges from its cocoon.

Struggling is not fun or easy.  It is difficult for those who love us to watch, however the strife makes us stronger.  Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us.  We would not be as strong as what we could have been and we could never fly.

Spread your wings and prepare to fly.  Become a butterfly!