The difference between an ugly duckling and a beautiful swan is just a belief away.
~ Christa Zaat
Happy Spring! In this April issue I’d like to share some inspiration from the Butterfly Story and the Susan Boyle Story.
The 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 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 had and it could go no further.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so 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.
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 as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.
~ Anonymous
This story reminds us that any obstacle that appears to hinder us, in reality, can make us stronger. But, we don’t need to be unhappy while navigating through these obstacles. Let’s face it, stuff happens beyond our control, and we want to be strong enough to come through it with some grace.
My friend Jana Stanfield is a keynote speaker, singer and songwriter. She is known as the ‘queen of heavy mental.’ Click here to listen to her beautiful voice singing The Butterfly Story or order Jana’s CD here.
The Susan Boyle Story
If you aren’t one of the 50+ million viewers who have seen Susan Boyle (no relation!) on youtube, please do yourself a favor and click this link.
Susan breaks the viewers’ boundaries, prejudices and preconceived beliefs. The camera scanned the faces of members of the audience who were rolling their eyes and snickering. Some even laughed when she expressed her dream to be a singer at the age of 47, as she did not have the appearance or attire of a ‘typical’ performer.
This was Susan’s opportunity to break out of her cocoon and become the latest internet sensation.
May you live the possibilities of leaving your ‘cocoon’. Remember that your wings are waiting even if what you want seems impossible to you or anyone else. In the middle of the struggle, know that happiness is always an option.
Happy flying…
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You are welcome to reprint, copy, or distribute Lenora Boyle’s article, provided author credit is included.