Struggles Are Necessary! by Myra Boozer

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 41:31

I have been thinking about struggles lately, maybe because I have had a few. I came across this story and it helps put things into perspective. Maybe it will help someone else.

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 was never 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 be. We could never fly! Lord, help me to not doubt the path you have chosen for me because you are working ALL things for my good, even in the struggles. 

This life is full of struggles but one Day, and it may not be that far away, we are going to hear that trumpet sound and our wings are gonna open wide, lifting us right off this earth to meet our Lord in the clouds. We will be so glad we endured whatever we had to endure to make us strong in the Lord. I'm gonna lift my hands til I reach Heaven...a sign of surrender to the Almighty One and also a sign of adoration to OUR KING. Struggles Are Necessary!