Lessons From
The Butterfly - Chapter Two
Now,
you might’ve heard this one before. It’s been making the rounds
in a few conversations lately, and frankly, given the state of
things and the road we’ve got ahead of us in this great country
of ours, I figure it’s worth a second look. As I move ahead from
knee surgery, I’ve discovered there are no shortcuts and I really
hoped there would be.
See,
there’s this story about a young lad who came across a butterfly
cocoon. One afternoon, he noticed a tiny little breach in the
casing. He pulled up a chair and sat there for hours, watching
this creature laboring away, trying to shove its way through a
hole that looked about three sizes too small. After a while, it
looked like the poor thing had just run out of steam. It stopped
moving altogether, like it had hit a wall it couldn't climb.
The
boy, being a kind-hearted soul, decided he’d lend a hand. He
grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped away the rest of the
cocoon to make the exit nice and easy. The butterfly slid right
out. But there was a problem. It had a bloated, heavy body and wings
that looked like crumpled-up tissue paper.
The
boy stuck around, expecting those wings to fill out and the body
to firm up any second. But they didn't. That butterfly spent the
rest of its days dragging itself through the dirt, never once
catching a breeze.
What
the boy didn’t realize—despite his best intentions—was that the struggle was
the whole point. That tight squeeze through the
opening is nature’s way of pumping fluid out of the body and into
the wings. Without the "work" of the exit, the
butterfly is never equipped for the sky.
The
Value of the Grind
Sometimes,
a little friction is exactly what we need. If we lived a life
wiped clean of every obstacle, we wouldn't be
"helped"—we’d be hobbled. We’d be soft. We wouldn't
have the strength to get off the ground.
Whether
you’re a parent, a teacher, or a woodturning instructor standing
over a lathe, you’ve got to resist the urge to jump in with the
scissors. To
really learn something, a person has to be allowed to mess up.
They have to feel the weight of the tool and the resistance of
the wood, and experience the violence of the catch that is sure
to come while learning. It’s not always comfortable to watch, but
it’s the only way to build a craftsman.
We
ought to keep that in mind when we think about the folks who came
before us. Our freedom wasn't a gift wrapped in a bow; it was
bought with the kind of struggle most of us can barely imagine.
And it stays ours only if we’re willing to put in the work to
maintain it.
So,
go ahead and have yourself a productive day. And if you run into
a little trouble? Don't sweat it. Just consider it part of the
flight prep. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here
is my inspiration for this week’s message:
(Deut
31:6 [NASB]) “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or
tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with
you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
(Jer
29:11 [AMP]) For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for
you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and
not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
(Rom
5:3-4 [NIV2]) Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
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