THE LESSON OF THE BUTTERFLY

John 16:33 (NLT) 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Have you ever wondered why we have so many struggles.  It seems that they come one after another, layer after layer.

But here’s the truth – God has allowed those struggles to come your way for a purpose.  It’s not that He’s trying to punish us but its more like he’s trying to shape us and move us forward into greater growth with Him.  He wants our spiritual walk to go much deeper in the things of the Lord.

In other words, He loves you too much to leave you where you are.

When I was young I lived in a paradise for a boy.  We lived in Fillmore California which is a semi rural area which had mountains to hike in and creeks to swim in. During the summer we would leave the house and play all day long until we were required to be home by 5:00 PM so we could eat dinner together.

But it was also a butterfly haven.  During the spring time butterflies would come out in abundance and we would construct our little butterfly nets and catch butterflies by the dozens.

Often we would catch  catepillars and placed them into jars only to see them die.  We learned later on that we had to put holes in the lid so they would have air and leaves in the jar so they would eat and eventually turn into a cocoon.

One day, after noticing a hole in one of one of the cocoons I noticed that the butterfly was struggling to get its body through the little hole. After awhile 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 I did what any boy would do – I tried to help it.  I took some 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. 

I expected that after time, the wings would open up and expand to support the body and it would begin to fly. I was really proud of the fact that I helped this butterfly out.

Well, it didn’t fly, nor did it ever. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. 

In my supposed kindness and haste – I did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was 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

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.

Look at this prayer and see if it makes any sense...

I asked for Strength......... And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.............And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity......... And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage............And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.................. And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors................And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted... And I received everything I needed.

Perhaps your struggles are there for a reason.  Perhaps God has created a trial just for you that is in essence making you stronger and stronger.  Yes, it would be easier if someone just opened up your cocoon so you could escape but it wouldn’t be the best thing for.  Trust God in this season of life and allow the lesson of the butterfly to remind you that your are right where God wants you.