September 2025

September Thought of the Month

"We don't grow when everything is easy."

~ Joyce Meyer

A long time ago, I heard a story. When the teller was a boy, he saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its chrysalis. Wanting to help, he reached out to tear the casing a little so it could get out more easily. But once out, the butterfly was feeble and too weak to fly. He realized the struggle gave the butterfly the strength to live. The lesson he learned from that: the easy way is not always the best way.

On some level, we all want our lives to go as easily as possible. There isn't a person alive who wouldn't happily take that path of least resistance when offered. But we rarely consider the price of that kind of thinking.

There is more to gain in adversity than in ease. Hard times force us to find solutions to problems raised, and in doing so gives us experiences and skills we can use the rest of our lives. Imagine what our lives would be like if we never faced and overcame the challenges of life. It would be miserable without the skills and knowledge gained through circumstances we didn't appreciate at the time.

It's okay to rail against the negatives of life, but don't stop there. View these situations as opportunities to gain new talents, to build our perseverance muscles, and grow in spirit so that, like a butterfly, we emerge on the other side strong and ready to fly.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]