Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based
on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received
and am still receiving.
___Albert Einstein

Sometimes generous giving is a hindrance to those you are giving to. We love so deeply at times that all we want is to keep giving to prevent suffering. We can sometimes cause handicaps to those recipients of our gifts. Have you ever watched a butterfly struggle against the cocoon to get out? I heard the story of a man that was watching a butterfly try to escape her cocoon and in mercy he helped it by cutting away some of the mouth, thereby making a larger hole to escape through. The butterfly did manage to get out but in the process the wings were malformed and never allowed flight. Consequently the butterfly never flew and was eaten by a bird. What the man did not know was that it is the struggle to escape that forces the wings to fill out and pre-form for flight. Without that struggle the butterfly becomes severely handicapped, incapable of self-preservation.
Have you ever met someone who resembles the story of the butterfly? Sadly I’ve known many men who resemble this story. Today they are severely handicapped in their every day lives, incapable of doing things for themselves. Holding a respectable job is next to impossible because it is so easy to just quit and walk away. There are no consequences for them so why should they have to hold down jobs? As long as their sources of supply continue to produce for them with little or at no personal costs there is no reason to get out and do for themselves…or their families. Sadder still is the suffering that their families are forced to endure. Their dreams are almost never realized and thus life becomes one day of drudgery after another.
You think I’m speaking strictly of men but no. Many housewives force their families to live in squalor due to their lack of wisdom with credit. And if their credit cards are removed from them they turn to their husbands paychecks and destroy their abilities to pay the bills of necessity due to selfish pursuits and unwise purchases. They keep the roads hot, cell phones busy, friends gossiping, their families in poverty, and their homes in disarray. Dirty clothes, miscellaneous clutter, and trash cover every article of flooring and furnishing. Their personal appearance is usually dirty and their hair disheveled, body overweight, and personal hygiene can also suffer in their laziness. What is sad is that there are husbands who contribute to these delinquent women and become *enablers* rather than loving givers.

One quick suggestion for your site:
Try changing the “font” to Veranda size 12 for greater legibility. I use it with all my daily devotionals as my own eye site has begun to fade as of late. Sometimes getting older has its advantages but eyesite isn’t one of them!!! LOL!!!
Be blessed,
Mitch Porter
East Texas Church of the Way
Kilgore, TX