Are You CareGIVER or CareTAKER?

A man came upon a caterpillar, picked it up and put it in a jar so that he could watch it transform into a butterfly. As expected, the caterpillar made itself a cozy cocoon. Soon the man noticed that it was struggling to break through its silky covering. It upset him to think of the creature struggling. With a knife, he carefully cut through the cocoon to release the butterfly. However, the butterfly seemed to be disabled; it couldn't fly.

The man's compassion overwhelmed his ability to let go; to let things be. The struggle that the butterfly goes through to break through the cocoon is the very act that forces the blood to move through the wings; to develop the muscles. Without the struggle, a butterfly simply can not fly.

What's the point of being a butterfly if you can't fly? You may as well remain a caterpillar! A man shouldn't mess with God's design; it's designed a certain way for a certain purpose that can't always be seen or understood.

We must allow others to experience life as it comes to them without protecting them from it. In our struggle, our greatest growth lies dormant. We can support them without Taking Care of Them. We also need to be patient with ourselves, knowing that at the end of the struggle, things will be better.

Sweet surrender!

Image by Joanne Cacciatore