A man, one day, saw a small opening appear in a cocoon, from which a butterfly should emerge. He sat down near where the cocoon rested and watched to see what would happen.
But soon it seemed to him that it had stopped as if it had made all possible effort and now could not continue. He then decided to help it: he took scissors and tore open the rest of the cocoon.
The butterfly was able to come out with great ease... But its body was shriveled, besides that, it was small and had crumpled wings.
The man continued to observe it because he hoped that at any moment, its wings would open. In truth, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling with a shriveled body and shrunken wings, never able to fly.
What the man did not understand was that the tight cocoon and the effort necessary for the butterfly to pass through the small opening were the way God made the fluid from that tiny insect's body circulate to its wings so that it would be ready to fly.
We too go through trials while we are here, because if we had a life without problems or difficulties, we would be condemned to remain atrophied, unable to take flight.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; because, when he is tested, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Tiago 1:12.
Article sent by the leadership of the church in Ribeirão Preto - SP.