Waiting to break free - aren't we all?

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 force its body through that little hole. Then 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 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. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened.  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.  What the man, in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. It would then be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.  

Strong and free, and I did it myself

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  If we were  allowed to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly.

This goes for our friends as well.  Don’t go cutting their cocoon open for them, don’t enable them to the point you disable them.  They deserve to find out for themselves just how powerful they can be and what they can attract by standing on their own two feet and not expecting anyone else to provide for them.

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

Yeah, me, too.

Andrea