GOD'S PLAN
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 for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were 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 from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed
us 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!
God knows exactly how much we can take and I truly believe He will never
give us more than we can handle. If you are going through something
tough, I encourage you to be strong and rejoice because God knows that you
are strong and can handle the situation. Keep focused on the Master and
you will always come forth victorious. Praise the Lord for His loving
mercy that He gives to all, freely.
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths."
1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he
careth for you."
Psalm 27:1-2 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the
wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell."
(Read all of Psalm 27) |
