The Story of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.One day a small opening appeared.He sat and watched the butterfly for several hoursas it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.He took a pair of scissors andsnipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.The butterfly emerged easily butit had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it,expecting that any minute the wings would enlargeand expand enough to support the body,Neither happened!In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its lifecrawling around.It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindnessand haste did not understand:The restricting cocoon and the strugglerequired by the butterfly to get through the openingwas a way of forcing the fluid from the bodyinto the wings so that it would be readyfor flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactlywhat we need in our lives.Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.We will not be as strong as we could have beenand we would never fly.