The Butterfly and How Struggle Makes Us Stronger

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / ryanking999

I heard a great story yesterday that I would like to share with you ...

One day a woman found the chrysalis of a butterfly. A few days later, a small opening appeared that indicated the butterfly was going to start emerging from it. The woman was excited, so she sat down to watch.

After several hours, she noticed the butterfly was really struggling to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop trying all together. It appeared as if the butterfly had gotten as far as it could on its own.

So the woman decided to help the butterfly by snipping the chrysalis open. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The woman continued to watch the butterfly because she expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and the body would contract and the butterfly would fly! But neither happened. The butterfly could not fly with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

What the woman did not understand in her effort to help the butterfly is that the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening is God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so it can fly. The butterfly needs the struggle in order to be set free.

This is something to remember when we go through struggles in our lives. If we will let him, God will use the struggle to make us stronger and more beautiful.

The same goes for our loved ones. Sometimes when we see other people struggle we think, “Oh that poor little butterfly,” and we naturally want to help. However, if we step in during that struggle and try to fix it for them, we interfere with God’s process. It is during the struggle when the butterfly becomes strong and more beautiful and ready to fly!

Just Because it is Done ...

Photo credit: Disney

Sticking with the Cinderella theme today. One of my favorite lines in the movie was, "Just because it is done, doesn't mean it should be done."

This is a great point for all of us to ponder.

Where are we repeating a behavior or pattern that doesn't serve us?

In the movie she was talking about hunting animals, but I'd like to apply this concept to our everyday lives.

Here's a simple example: In marriage, many women find themselves nagging their husbands to get something done, perhaps taking out the trash, painting a room or making a household repair, but the task never gets done. What would it be like if the wife stopped addressing the topic altogether? What if she did that thing herself or hired someone else to do it? If repeated requests are not getting the job done, are more repeated requests really going to help?

Sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves why we continue to do certain things that don't get us the results we seek. Try something different next time!

Life Lessons from Cinderella

Photo credit: Disney

Couldn't help but put this one out there ... Have courage and be kind.

So simple, but true.

In life, we need courage to overcome fear.

I'm not talking about fears of heights, spiders, monsters or anything like that. I'm referring to fears that impact us on a daily basis.

Here are a few common ones:

• intimacy -- this fear keeps us from fully receiving love from others
• loneliness -- this fear causes us to never have healthy silence in our lives
• failure -- this fear causes us to not take risks and live fully
• rejection -- this fear causes us to not be ourselves
• commitment -- this fear keeps us separate from others
• abandonment -- this fear causes us to act in controlling ways to keep people near us

So, take some wisdom from Cinderella's mom -- have courage, take a risk to live and love fully, and always be kind!