We can fly...!!!

Hardship is part of life.  None of us can escape it, yet all of us want to.

It makes me think about how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  After it forms a chrysalis around itself, the caterpillar gradually changes into a butterfly inside it.  

But, exiting the chrysalis is the hardest part of the caterpillar's metamorphosis.  

You see, the new butterfly must push and pull its way out of the chrysalis, and it is quite painful to watch.  

One might think it needs to reach out and help the butterfly to escape, but this is the worst thing we could do.  

Why, you ask?  The painful process of exiting the chrysalis is the very thing that gives the butterfly enough strength to flap it's wings and fly.  Isn't that amazing? 

Sometimes, life can be a  metaphorical chrysalis of sorts.  It's uncomfortable, and we wonder why God would allow things to be so hard.  

We want an easy exit.  

But, what if this grueling season is the very thing that equips us for the calling that God has placed on us?  

What if an early exit from this difficult time would be detrimental to our life as a whole?  

When I think about hardship this way, I can see the purpose and hope in it.  

God is never finished with us.  We are all works in progress, and walking through hard times is an essential part of our growth in Him.  But, we don't have to walk through it alone.  

He is with us through every step--guiding us, holding us, and reminding us that we CAN pull through.  

After some time, we experience a beautiful transformation from the inside out. 

And, we realize that WE CAN FLY.