I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

The old song goes something like this.

I beg your pardon.
I never promised you a rose garden.
Along with the sunshine,
there's gonna be a little rain sometime.

The singer reminds the hearer that life isn't always easy, and difficulties come. As he continues he goes on to make his point that he never promised it would be easy either.

While I'm remembering old songs, another one comes to mind that sounds like a prayer of thanksgiving.

Life can't be all sunshine or the flowers would die.
Life can't be all blessings or there would be no need to pray.
So I thank you for the valley I walk through today.

Thank you for every hill I climb;
for every time the sun didn't shine.
Thank you for every lonely night;
I prayed 'til I knew everything was alright.
Thank you for the valley I walk through today.

I'm sure that's not all of the words, but the message of the song is there. The point is that life is fraught with difficulties.

There once was a little boy who found a cacoon attached to a small branch. He took the cacoon and placed it in a jar. He poked some wholes in the lid so air could get in, and then he waited. Every day he would check the cacoon to see if there was any change. Then one day the cacoon began to move. Something was happening. He sat down to watch and thrilled to see the a butterfly begin to emerge. Eventually the butterfly was halfway out of the cacoon, but it seemed tired. While the butterfly rested, the boy grabbed his pen knife and began to help the butterfly escape from the cacoon. Carefully he cut the sides of the cacoon to release the butterfly completely, but there was a problem. The top half of the butterfly's wings were open and beautiful, but the bottom half never opened. What the boy did not know was that the struggle of emerging from the cacoon caused the capillaries in the wings to fill with blood which opened the wings. Without that struggle the wings would never open.

In life so many beautiful thing come out of the struggle. Today if you're struggling, let me encourage you to take heart. The struggle will pass. God has a beautiful plan for your life. I certainly am not here to promise you "a rose garden," but in spite of life's struggle you do have His promise to be with you through it all. He will see you through! Have a blessed day.