佚名/Anonymous
A man was walking in the forest near his farm. The man loved nature. He watched birds and looked for signs of small animals.
One day, the man found the cocoon of a butterfly. It was hanging from the branch of a tree. He was excited to witness this miracle of nature as it unfolded. Anxiously, the man checked on the cocoon everyday. Several days passed with no sign of movement or life.
Finally, one day a small opening appeared in the cocoon. The man sat down on the forest floor, ready to enjoy the show. He watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
The process was endless and the man was getting impatient. Then the creature in the cocoon seemed to stop making progress altogether. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and as though it could go no further.
The man decided to help the butterfly. He went home and found a pair of scissors. He returned to the forest 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 sat down and continued to watch the butterfly.
He expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body. He also supposed that the body would contract in time. Neither of these things 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 was necessary. As the butterfly fought to get through the tiny opening, fluid was forced from the body of the butterfly into its wings.
This way, 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 we were allowed to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.