Cocoon

A man found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly as it struggled for several hours 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 out as it could.

The man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped of the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued watching the butterfly because he expected that at any moment, the wings would expand and be able to support the body which would contract with time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent its whole 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 constricting cocoon and the struggle to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings and legs so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in life. If nature allowed us to go through life without obstacles, it would cripple us too. We would never be as strong as nature wanted us to be. Next time you go through a struggle, remember that Nature is there with you and knows what you need.


- Unknown