The Emperor Moth

                                   image by Irvine Cushing

Have you ever heard the story of the Emperor Moth?  I'm sure you have but because it's one of my all time favorite stories I'm going to share it here and hope that you enjoy it even if you have already heard it!  Here's in one version:

A man found the cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. 

The man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, 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 little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

While the story is a bit tragic I love the message behind it.  Struggle is necessary.  We all struggle, we all need to in order to grow wings and soar!  The Lord never meant for our life to be easy!  Romans 5:1-5 tells us why we struggle.  Read here:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (emphasis mine)

We glory in our sufferings!  So I ask you to consider this; does this mean we never complain?  Do we never feel despair or disappointment?  Can we never cry on the shoulders of others?  Actually in Galatians 6:2 we are instructed  to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  Do you know what the law of Christ is?  LOVE!  He said to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”  (Mark 12:30-31)  I believe there is a balance to be found between allowing your friend to suffer in order to grow stronger in their faith and allowing them to wallow in self pity.  Perhaps if you cannot discern between the two it's a good time to pray?  How can you know what works God is doing in the heart of someone else?  And sometimes let me suggest that you simply listen.  People aren't always looking for you to give them answers to their problems.  Often times they just want a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on.  If you have not been blessed with mercy and compassion perhaps you should pray for yourself as well.  In my own struggles I have gained mercy.  I have found compassion.  If I expect it for myself, I should extend it to others.  

But let me say also that it could be taken that the moth was 'self sufficient' and needed no help in working through the struggle to escape its cocoon.  I don't think self sufficiency is the point of the story.  As I have already pointed out we are to bear one another's burdens.  Romans 15:1 tells us, "we who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves." and in Philippians 2:4, "Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."  If you are struggling don't take advantage of your friends who are willing to listen to you, consider them and how loading all your cares upon them might be a burden to them.  Ultimately we are to cast our cares upon Jesus, not our friends and family!  And if you have a friend who struggles, be patient and kind asking the Lord to help you bear with them in love.  We don't have to enable people in their sin or struggles but we do need to love one another.

One last thing that I think is significant about this story is the name of the moth; the Emperor Moth.  The king of the moths!  How lowly is a moth!  Seriously, do people go looking for moths?  The butterfly gets a lot more attention than a moth does!  We normally try to repel moths and if that doesn't work we put up bug zappers to rid ourselves of them and other flying pests.  But what a beautiful creature this moth is!  He's majestic which is why he gets the name Emperor!  And we too are majestic!  We are heirs along with Christ because of what He has done for us on the cross!  To give you hope read this from James 2:5:

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  

Sometimes I feel that others consider me poor.  I don't mean financially but I mean in faith and spirit.  But this verse says that we are chosen in spite of how we appear to the world.   He has chosen to make us rich in faith!  While I struggle I find that my faith grows stronger.  I look to the Lord for answers.  I look to Him for comfort.  I look to Him for peace.  He doesn't 'open the cocoon' to prevent my struggle but He tells me that He's there with me.  He is the most sympathetic ear you will ever find and the most compassionate listener you will ever encounter.  

I leave you with a few quotes.  I love quotes!  They often express what I'm already thinking.  I pray that you are blessed and find comfort in knowing that no struggle is without reward.  

The struggle alone pleases us, not the victory.  ~ Blaise Pascal

Once a struggle is grasped, miracles are possible.  ~ Mao Tse-Tung

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. ~ Helen Keller