The butterfly story...

2/19/11

I received this sweet message from my friend Andrea, and I wanted to share it with all of you as my post today.... =)

"It's saturday morning on the 19th of Feb. and I just wanted to let you know I prayed for you and your family today. You are in our prayers often, and are very loved. I have a poem that I love because it reminds me that some of our most painful struggles, are God's way of making us beautiful. You and Rick are a real example of this your lives are so much more beautiful because of Maddie." Andrea


Butterfly Story
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 it's 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 farther.

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 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 struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny oppening, were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon.

My sweet friend, Andrea said, "Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be strong as what we could have been. And we would never fly."


Isn't that amazing? It pretty much sums up exactly how I've been feeling.

God has such a plan for our lives, all the way down to the little butterfly.

I know so often I want to rush things and hurry things along. I want things to be a certain way, and by a certain time. The fact of the matter is, everything takes time, and if we WAIT on Him, God's timing will be perfect. =)

For this little butterfly would now have to go through life and not really be able to live it as fully as God intended, but it did still go on living.

We don't know why certain "trials" come into our lives. I like to come up with reasons why and learn lessons from them, but only God knows for sure. He knows the end of the story.

So, we can take the challenges that God puts before us and get through them in His time.

Or, we like the impatient man, can rush through to what we think "should be" robbing ourselves of extra blessings down the line.

My heart still hurts everyday for my sweet girl, and I would be lying if I told you I was back to 100%.

I'm not. Not even close.

I miss her so, all day, everyday. Even last night I found myself really struggling, missing Maddie, and aching to hold her.

I've accepted that this is now a part of my life, and I'm just "waiting" on the Lord to show me what's next.

So, as you walk through trials and temptations, just know like that little butterfly, something more beautiful will come if we allow God to use us.

God wants our lives to be full of beauty and grace. He wants us to enjoy life.

I'm learning that God is making my life more beautiful because of how I'm walking through this journey with Him. I'm so thankful for that.

Just know that in His time, if you wait on Him, God will help you to be able to spread your wings and fly. And you too, can add such beauty to this world just like the beautiful butterflies. =)


Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!