Don't complicate things!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5 : 6,7

Good morning, friends! This one is another reminder for all of us who take too much effort to set things right by our own strength.

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.

In my fellowship an uncle always says, “Life is very simple. We are making it way too complicated.” When Don Moen came to Chennai for the very first time he shared this to the crowd gathered there. “My bass guitarist Robin and alto singer Leann were not able to come with us due to visa issues at the last moment and for 6 long weeks I was not able to hear anything using my left ear. But God performed wonders and it is not by our might nor by our power, but by the Spirit of God we were able to lead worship.” How true it is!

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand 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.

In the film ‘Facing the giants’ by Sherwood Pictures, the little boy David asks his father, “Why am I so small and weak?” The father answers, “For God to reveal His glory.”

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! Yes, our real strength is God and nothing/no one else. Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” When we’re weak He becomes stronger. So why do you worry? Just humble yourself under His mighty hand; He will lift you up!!!