Life is like baking a cake

This is another one of my favourite inspirational stories.

A little boy is telling his Grandma how “everything” is going wrong. School, family problems, health problems, problems with friends, etc.

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which, of course, he does.

“Here, have some cooking oil.” *”Yuck” says the boy.
“How about a couple raw eggs? ” “Gross, Grandma!”
“Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?” “Grandma, those are all yucky!”

To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times.

But Allah knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!”

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives!

This is one of my favourite inspirational stories of all.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day asmall opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force itsbody through that little hole. Then it seemed to stopmaking any progress. It appeared as if it had gottenas far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He tooka pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bitof the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had aswollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly becausehe expected that, at any moment, the wings wouldenlarge and expand to be able to support thebody, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen bodyand shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did notunderstand was that the restricting cocoon andthe struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Allah’s way offorcing fluid from the body of the butterfly intoits wings so that it would be ready for flightonce it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through ourlives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we couldhave been. We could never “fly”!

I asked for Strength………
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom………
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity………
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage………
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love……….
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favours………
And Allah gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ……..
I received everything I needed!”So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!”

“So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!”

Sura The Believer (23) verse 14