The Butterfly and the Cocoon

Greetings:

Hebrews 12:11 (HCSB): "No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

I remember hearing the story of a young boy who was watching a cocoon daily. He had brought it into his room hoping to see what would emerge.

One morning when he got up, the cocoon had split and he watched in wonder as the butterfly struggled so hard to extricate itself from the cocoon. The boy watched as the struggle seemed to go on forever. Finally, feeling sorry for the butterfly, the boy gently torn open the cocoon to free the trapped butterfly.

At last - it was free from the struggle. But, as the boy watched, it was malformed. It wings were shriveled and weak. And in a short time, the butterfly died. What the boy did not know was that the struggle to free itself was what pumped life into the butterfly's wings. It was necessary for the butterfly to survive.

Often in our lives, we are like that butterfly. God has placed struggles into our lives to strengthen us - to help us survive. We should rejoice in these trials. Not easy, but necessary. Think about this today.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc