Strength Through The Struggle

Strength through the Struggle

The wind rushed through Joey’s sandy blond hair as the 11-year-old boy made his way through the familiar neighborhood streets from school to his house. Just a couple of blocks from home, Joey found the cocoon of a butterfly. He stared at it for several minutes and made note of where it was so he could keep an eye on it during the next few days.

The following week, he noticed a small opening in the cocoon. Joey lost complete track of time as he sat and watched the insect inside struggle to force its body through the tiny hole. As the sun began to set, he hurried home but couldn’t stop thinking about the cocoon. The next day, after school, Joey noticed the insect appeared to be stuck in the hole. It appeared as though it had gotten as far as it could and helplessly remained still mostly inside the cocoon.

The next morning, he took a pair of scissors and put them in his backpack. On the way to school, he stopped again to look at the cocoon. Feeling sorry for the insect, he decided to help it enter the outside world. He carefully snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. Joey smiled as he watched the butterfly emerge smoothly from the hole.

He was surprised, though, to notice the butterfly’s swollen body and small, shriveled wings. Joey continued to watch the butterfly, because in his childlike innocence he expected at any moment its 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 was never able to fly. What Joey didn’t understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the insect into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. Though none of us enjoy them, God often uses them for our good. He strengthens us through the dark hours. He increases our faith when we call on him for help through the pain.

Know It!

If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We wouldn’t be as strong as we could have been. We’d never fly. God wants you to soar! Can you trust him with your shaky wings and your daily struggles? Instead of growing frustrated with all that’s going wrong in your life, try shifting your focus to what you’ll become after the struggle has ceased.

Read It!

2 Corinthians 10:10; James 1:2-4, 12; 2 Peter 2:9

Pray It!

Ask God to change the way you view your struggles.

©Tari Esther Opute