A boy once found the cocoon of a most beautiful butterfly. He could see the butterfly struggling to get out. But the silk of the cocoon made escape difficult. Thinking to help, the boy tore the silken covering. Instead of flying away, however, the poor butterfly waved its wings a few times and fell on the table.
Years later the boy learned that the cocoon offered just enough resistance to the butterfly so that in struggling to get out it might strengthen its wings. It was only when the butterfly gained enough strength in its wings to break the silken chains that it would have strength enough to fly!
So may it not be that your burdens and troubles are giving you enough strength to break the cocoon of your earthly life? May it not be that God does not make things too easy for your lest you do not develop enough strength to fly with the wings of your spirit?
This is something you may have forgotten. You may say to yourself: “How will I ever get through this day? There’s this and there’s that which I must face – all day long and one thing after another. That is too much!”
If you will just try to live just one minute at a time, facing one difficulty at a time in the best way you know how and forgetting all about the others, you will be astonished at how much lighter each one of them will become!
And there is another thought which may help you through many a trouble. It is a practical thought – a little sentence for you to remember. And it had its beginning, so it is said, in this legend:
There was once a king who had a sun-dial in his garden. As an ornament to the sun-dial, the king commanded his court philosopher to make up an inscription which he could look at during any hour of the day and which furthermore would mean the same whether the king should feel wonderfully happy or unutterably sad, something which would help him and comfort him.
As you can imagine, this was not easy to do. For what you might say about happiness, certainly would be hard to say about sadness and trouble. Do you know what the philosopher wrote? Four words:
“This, too, will pass!”
It will pass because when you go through the valley of pain and sickness and disappointment, truly you need fear no evil, His rod and His staff shall comfort you. When you are sorely tired, truly God’s love will take away your fear of the storm. His love and pity will carry you to rest in the harbor of peace.
For with God all things are possible. God can lift you from the depths of despair to the heights of hope. He can make you know and feel that your life cannot fail when it is upheld by His everlasting arms.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever happens to you, if you are a devotee of God you can enter each day with quiet confidence.
This Faith is not always something that you can secure with one whispered prayer, one day of hope, one night of appeal. It will, however, descend upon you just as soon as you know and feel that God does love you, God does care, God will help you to bear your burdens!
Sadhu Atmaswarupdas