One day a man sitting on his porch noticed a cocoon. As he watched, a small opening appeared on the cocoon. The butterfly struggled for quite a while as it tried to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gone as far as it could and could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch 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 shriveled 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 tiny opening was 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. By helping, the man had doomed the Butterfly to a flightless life.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. Our struggles come to us as tests, trials and tribulations. Sometimes they are of our own making and at other times they are just a part of life’s problems that we all experience. If God allowed us to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We could not fly. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Our struggles in life are the basis for molding and strengthening our Character. It is the means of teaching us to continue trying rather than quitting. This strengthens our character. In maturity we gain a new perspective even as we suffer, We can look on life with hope rather than despair. A hope based on an enduring experience with God and a growing faith in God's promises We are told in Romans 5:3-5 "but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope and hope does not disappoint".

Struggles in our life are also the means by which our faith may be strengthened. It enables us to be complete, perfect in the eyes of God. Just as Paul rejoiced in his sufferings and trials so too can we as Disciples rejoice in our suffering because we realize it is a testing or trying of our faith. In turn this helps our faith to increase. In James 1:2 – 4, he tells us: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

The rewards to which we look forward make the testing we undergo worthwhile It is a key element for our Salvation and provides us with the perseverance to withstand any struggles we may encounter. It is the means by which each of us proves our faith.

As you can see from what I have said, we gain our strength to bear our struggles through our faith and dependence on God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. These words "Christ Jesus is Lord" is a simple phrase, but they can carry much power. It can change your life. As your world undergoes upheaval, you can cling to a Messiah that never changes. As you experience setbacks, struggles or stress, you can cling to a Lord that will renew your life from the inside out. As you face pain and hurt and even guilt for your own mistakes, you can come to God through a Savior that died for you.

To accept Jesus as the Christ, in your life, you need to Confess that Jesus is the Son of God. . We know this because Jesus assures us when He says "I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God." (Lk. 12:8) You also need to be Baptized in His name. For Jesus says: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mk. 16:16)

Paul describes Baptism as giving one " a New Life" He says: " Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3-4)

Sometimes, people are given a second chance, - to repent of their past deeds and to reform their lives. God has given everyone this opportunity through His Son, Jesus. You can find stability in your life by submitting to Jesus the Christ. Surrender today!