The Butterfly and the Flower was an email received in October 2007.  The origination is apparently "funspirations."  A Google search showed it to be some sort of Yahoo group. I've used a little of the artwork from the original email (with some reconstruction and special effects added) and have edited the wording and the flow of the text.  But the intent of  the lesson remains intact, a philosophy I wholeheartedly share, though struggle to remember.  

Once there was a man who asked God for a flower . . . .

. . . . and a butterfly.

But instead God gave him a cactus . . . . . . . . a caterpillar

The man was sad.  He didn't understand why his request was mistaken.  Then he thought: God has too many people to care for . . . .  and he decided not to question it.

After some time, the man went to check on the answer to his request
(the cactus and the caterpillar), which he had left forgotten.

To his surprise,

from the thorny & ugly cactus a beautiful flower had grown,

and

the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into a most beautiful butterfly.

If you ask God for one thing and receive another . . . . TRUST.  You can be sure that He will always give you what you need at the appropriate time. His way is TRULY the best way, even if it seems all wrong to us. Today's THORN is tomorrow's FLOWER.