Struggles in Life

A man found a cocoon for 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.

Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.

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, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man didn’t think anything of it and sat waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.

Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.

As I reflect on this story, I am reminded of my own experiences with struggle. I recall a time when I was learning to play the piano, and my fingers would ache after just a few minutes of practice. I wanted to give up, but my teacher encouraged me to persevere, telling me that the struggle to play the notes correctly was an essential part of the learning process. And indeed, with time and effort, my fingers became stronger, and the music began to flow more effortlessly. I also think about the times I've had to navigate difficult conversations with loved ones - those conversations were tough, and we had to work through our differences, but the end result was a deeper understanding and stronger relationships.

Another experience that comes to mind is when I had to move to a new city for work. I had to start over, make new friends, and find new places to explore. It was a challenging time, but as I looked back, I realized that it was an opportunity for growth, and I became more self-sufficient and confident in my ability to adapt to new situations.

...Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s essential for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others.