Confounded by Cocoons

I must be dying, the caterpillar thought, as a chrysalis formed around him. I'm hanging from a tree and I have no idea what's going on! I thought that I would turn into a butterfly, like my friends did...But I guess not. As the hard shell continued to grow around him, his thoughts raced. What would his friends say? Could he escape? His expectations did not match the reality of the constricting thing growing around him. I might as well wait it out, the disappointed caterpillar mused.

As the darkness covered him, he realized excitedly that he was not dying. He could barely move, but he was alive. He struggled, fighting against his cage  but it was too strong. Days went by- the tiny insect grew thinner and thinner. So, I die of starvation! Great. Just great. He felt different but couldn't place why. The small bug continued to struggle, kicking and pushing against the walls. Finally, he felt something give. Whooping with joy, he pushed harder, and harder, and harder, until...He burst from his cocoon! Instead of falling, as he expected-he flew. Looking down, half wondering if this was heaven after all, he saw his shadow. Wings! I have wings! Wait until the others see. He swooped, and fluttered, landing on a leaf to survey his surroundings as a newly birthed butterfly. Reality exceeded his expectations. He was free.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a time when I felt like that caterpillar. Trapped in my own expectations and struggling against what was truly happening in life. Many times over, my heart has jumped for joy at my dreams and ideas only to be dashed on the rocks of disappointment. But I have realized something. Every time one of my dreams or ideas did not go according to my plan, it was not because something worse happened- something better always came along. Something more than I could imagine, a blessing I didn't dream possible and a hope for the future I never could let myself desire. Have you done the same? We imagine God laughs and takes things away from us for sheer pleasure- only to learn later that it was for our good. That He has our best interest in mind. I am so grateful that I did not get what I asked for on so many occasions. Had God given me what I wanted then, I would not have what I have now. Like a child, I would have spoiled my appetite on Dollar Store candy and turned down the gourmet chocolate He had planned. His dreams for me are far beyond my expectations. 

I have learned that old expectations don't fit into new situations. When we force our preconceived notions, we can lose out on God's true desire for our lives. How delightful it is to be in the will of God, to be in a new wineskin. 

"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins." Mark 2:22

Oftentimes, our cocoons are for our own safety. A chrysalis is actually  "a sheltered state or stage of being or growth". We won't reach our true potential unless we allow constraints on our lives. Be it standards of living or controlling our thoughts, we can "kick against the goads" as it were. But more often than not, the very goads we kick are for our safety. Going back to that child with the candy metaphor, how often do we give in to our sugar cravings and have no desire to eat the things that will make us healthy and strong? The same goes for our soul. God's very nature is to protect and bless us. We should let His blessings flow in our lives...by letting Him blow us away.