COCOON

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home

so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon.

On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth

for several hours as the moth 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 farther. It just seemed to be stuck.

Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth,

so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining

bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the moth 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 little moth 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 moth to get through the tiny opening were

God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings

so that it would be ready for flight

once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle.

By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If God allowed us to go through our life

without any obstacles, He would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Give every opportunity a chance. Leave no room for regrets.

ASPIRATIONS - All our dreams come true if

we have the courage to pursue them.