The Benefits of Suffering

One day a man found a cocoon. He noticed a small opening in the cocoon and could see a butterfly trying to make its way out of the cocoon. The man watched the butterfly for several hours, as it struggled to force its body through the 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 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 expand and 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 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 the wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

The butterfly needed to struggle and fight his way out of the cocoon in order to fly!

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would never be able to fly.

Malcolm Muggeridge said, "Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my 75 years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my experience, has been through affliction and not through happiness" (Homemade, July, 1990). It is through affliction and suffering that the greatest lessons of life are learned. This truth is echoed by some of history’s great preachers. Samuel Rutherford said when he found himself in the cellars of affliction, "The Great King keeps his wine there." Charles Spurgeon said, "They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls" (John Piper, "Why We Can Rejoice in Suffering").

Thanksgiving List

Things I can list that I'm thankful for in less than 60 seconds in no particular order:

my wife, Jesus, my kids, my dog (Deacon), my church and job, my dad's successful knee replacement surgery, my friends, good health, great opportunities in America, decent salary, the ability to read and write...