The Cocoon

Encased in its cocoon, the lonely caterpillar is preparing for emergence.

No one knows exactly what the caterpillar experiences inside the cocoon. The process is ugly. We don’t know if it is painful or just a deep sleep. We have learned that parts of the caterpillar will remain embedded in its new form, and the emerging butterfly will even have memories of being a caterpillar.

Christianity has long compared the process of the butterfly to accepting Christ.

Speaking for myself, I struggled on my own for years, trying to silence the background noise of people-pleasing and self-doubt. Then God showed me a new way to look at life and myself.

Was I miraculously changed in an instant? No! Like that caterpillar, I had encased myself in a cocoon of self-preservation and its shell was hard as a rock.

Trust the Process

Inside, my process was ugly, but I had a loving God helping me through it all. I no longer felt alone. I no longer felt helpless or hopeless. Eventually, the shell of my cocoon softened and my new self began forming from the inside out. I know parts of the old me will always remain and I won’t escape all the lingering negative memories, but now I can see them in a new way. Now they don’t control me or intimidate me.

I can see my inner beauty, the strength and insights I gained from my experiences. I can appreciate my gifts and use them to be a blessing to others without feeling the need to be someone else.

As I slowly break through the shell, I am ready to spread my wings and take flight, soaring towards the pure acceptance of everything God had created me to be!

However, unlike a caterpillar, this is a process I may go through many times. Life’s challenges may prompt me to seek refuge in my cocoon. This doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. We all need times of rest, reflection, and redirection. Life is a progression, not perfection. The goal is to not get stuck in the cocoon.

I encourage you to embrace your change. Don’t rush the ugly process in the cocoon, no matter how many times you may retreat there. Surrender the time needed to rest, die to self and yield to God, get your wings, and get ready to fly!

A clam glorifies God better than we do, because the clam is being everything it was created to be, whereas we are not.

Elisabeth Elliot