Sometimes joy’s river ceases to flow.
Sometimes dark clouds, loom down long and low.
Sometimes great storms, hold back the sun.
Sometimes you just want to hide or run.
Look onward to our heavenly home.
Remember His promise, you’re not alone.
Fly like a bird, on the winds of His grace.
Find sweet assurance in His embrace.
Sometimes life’s pains are hard to bear.
Sometimes our hearts groans deep in despair.
Sometimes shadows of death pass by.
Sometimes alone, we cry out, Why?
Take the hand of God’s merciful love;
Who calms the sea and sent His Dove.
The God of all that lives and breaths;
Who made the rocks, the winds, the seas,
Will lead you through your darkest night,
Will help you through the terrible fight.
He’ll hold you up and you will stand.
He’ll lead you through, hold tight His hand.
And as the rains and storm winds blow;
The peace of God will ease pains flow.
Hold fast to faith, the shield of power;
And know your God wants you to flower.
Sometimes, the greatest fruitful child;
Has suffered through the greatest test.
And though the pain takes time to heal;
Remember Child, God’s love is real.
All night will shine like a new day;
When storm clouds lift and drift away.
Through parting clouds light will appear;
Our God will ease our ev'ry fear.
His loving touch will brush our tears;
And heal all pain, from worldly years.
Forevermore sweet smiles will shine;
And all our cares be left behind.
By: Susan Y Nikitenko
2009
The Butterfly
A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.
Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
Not only that, we could never fly.
