As compassionate humans we try to help one other when we are struggling with issues of life. It is hard to watch co-workers go through difficulties in their life as we become very close working together more hours than we are with our own family members. It is good to be there for support for each other, but many times we try to fix others problems which can really stunt their growth and potential. I remember when one of my co-workers was struggling with financial issues and we tried to help her out by paying off a debt that she owed so she would not suffer further damaging consequences. She was very appreciative, but as time went on we began to see that she was unwise with her money and instead of paying her rent and debts first she would spend money on herself stating "she deserved things because she worked hard." We don’t know for a fact that if we did not help her previously that she may have learned a valuable lesson regarding her finances by enduring hardship from a creditor, but maybe she would have. Sometimes it is best to allow others to struggle because of the growth it will bring in their life and come along side them only as encouraging support as what should have happened in the story below about the "Butterfly."
Butterflies
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 stuck. The man decided to help the butterfly and with a pair of scissors he cut open the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man watched the butterfly expecting it to take on its correct proportions. But nothing changed. The butterfly stayed the same. It was never able to fly. In his kindness and haste the man did not realize that the butterfly’s struggle to get through the small opening of the cocoon is nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight. Like the sapling which grows strong from being buffeted by the wind, in life we all need to struggle sometimes to make us strong. When we coach and teach others it is helpful to recognize when people need to do things for themselves.
~author unknown
Comentários