Food for Thought 11/17/1999
www.illuminations4u.org
Subject: Difficulties Make Us Strong

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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 could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. 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 lives.

If God allowed us to go through our lives without
any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not
be as strong as what we could have been.
We could never fly!

I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.........
And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!

May God Bless you with unspeakable joy, not
only in the world to come, but in this world also.

May your path be bright and full of light everywhere you go.

May God tell darkness that it must flee at your command.

And, I pray your feet will never stumble out of God's plan.

May the desires of your heart come true,
and may you experience Peace in everything you do.

May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way.

May you gain Wisdom and grow in the Lord everyday.

God bless and lead you TODAY, then Tomorrow, next
But One day at a time. Focus on Jesus and LISTEN..