One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon.     Feeling lonely, he decided to take the cocoon home to watch its beautiful transformation from a funny little cocoon to a beautiful butterfly.    

He gently put the cocoon on his kitchen table, and watched over it for days.   Suddenly on the seventh day the cocoon started to move.   It moved frantically! 

The old man felt sorry for the butterfly inside the cocoon.   He watched it struggle, and struggle and struggle!  
Finally the old man felt so sorry for the cocooned butterfly rushed to its aide with a surgical  scalple and gently slit the cocoon so the butterfly could emerge.   Just one slice was all it took, and the butterfly  broke free from its cocoon only to wilt over in a completely motionless state. 

The old man did not know what to think.  Had he accidently killed the little butterfly?   No, It's still moving a little bit, maybe its sick!   Who the heck would know?   He was dumbfounded and quite perplexed!   What should I do, He said.  

Well he felt so sorry, for the  little creature, that he decided the best thing he could do for the butterfly was to place it gently back in it's cocoon.    
He did so, and place a drop of honey on it, to seal the cocoon, leaving the butterfly to nestle in it's natural state.     

Well the next day, he noticed the little thing was moving again.   Wow, he said !   It moved and moved and struggled and struggled.  Finally the butterly broke free from it's cocoon and stretched it's wings out far and wide.  Big time yawn!  It's beautiful wings were filled with beautiful colors!  It looked around and took off!   It was flying!  It's so beautiful!   The old man was jumping with joy! 

Wow!      Go baby, Go.  

And that wonderful butterfly did just that, it flew and flew until it was almost out of the old man's sight.  What a joy, he exclaimed!

   But then he started to think.  What did I do wrong trying to help that beautiful little butterfly at first?   
The old man went into town.  Found the library and read every book he could on butterflies and cocoons.   
Finally the answer appeared.  

The butterly has to struggle and struggle while inside the cocoon.    That's how it gets it's strength.   That is just what they are designed to overcome in order to be strong and beautiful.   

Well needless to say the old man was shocked, saddened, and somewhat relieved.    Now he knows the reason why they do what they do. 

It was only his perception that made it appear that the butterfly was having a hard time.   

Well from then on the old man knew that loving something means to pray for it and cheer it on!    He realized that God was wonderful, and sometimes appearances are not what they seem to be.     That we are all beautiful butterflies, although we all have our apparent struggles in life...          

Author unknown