The Fight for Flight

© Angela Beatty 9/10

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good

to them that love God, to them that are

called according to His purpose

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm a butterfly-aholic. To me they are not only beautiful, but fascinating creatures. The metamorphic process that turns a creepy crawling creature into a soaring masterpiece is a story of hope and redemption. The amazing strength of such a beautiful and dainty creature whose wings can be damaged by the touch of a finger and yet strong enough to fly across a continent defies explanation. Maybe that's why this story has stuck with me....

At a Christian Educator's Convention, a speaker relayed the story of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. I apologize that I can't give appropriate credit for the story. But here it is as it was told.

The Butterfly Story

A man found the 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 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.

Maybe that's why God allows us to struggle through the hard times we face instead of making life easy for us. Maybe we need the strength we'll gain from the fight.