And lift off!!

In my last blog I wrote about the worm and the cocoon phase, you might want to read that first for some context before continuing to read this post.

Your challenge, struggle or storm (aka metamorphosis ;) ) takes time, sometimes the whole cycle takes a day or a week, but sometimes it can take a few months or years, all depending on the size and depth of the revelation and change, but there is always a reward after every storm or struggle and therefore I think that the butterfly phase is awesome! You have learnt what you could, applied it as best you could, fought the good fight and now it's time to live and teach. I enjoy this phase as I love teaching and sharing. It's a time to give testimonies and encourage others.

I'm always excited about the butterfly phase, to me it's almost the reward at the end of the cycle of learning. You get perspective as you stick your head out of the cocoon, life makes sense again and as you spread your wings to fly for the first time with your new wisdom, joy is abundant. Your mind is clear and you are completely unstuck. (I always feel a bit stuck in the cocoon) :)
There is still a challenge though…

Did you know that a butterfly uses its wings to break out of the cocoon? It needs to do that in order for the wings to gain strength through the process and ultimately enabling it to fly. If you thus help a butterfly out of its cocoon, you would actually kill it, because it never developed its wings and thus won't be able to fly. I can't explain the entire process, as I'm not a biologist, but i think it's pretty awesome.

The challenge for us would then also be to break out of the cocoon and fly. It's not always easy, because the cocoon process was shaping and vulnerable and we need to gain some courage and boldness to push out of the cocoon. Also, people might not agree with our revelations, might resist our changes or persecute us for them and thus there is always a choice, remain in the cocoon or fly. Stay in the comfort zone or take a leap of faith. If we never leave the cocoon, we'll never experience the reward.

Life was made to share, whether it is a struggle or a victory and we shouldn't be afraid of sharing our struggles and victories, but rather embrace them so that others can be encouraged. Take a leap of faith today and share your testimony, you never know who you might inspire!

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:11 ESV

Picture credit: imgfave

The metamorphosis…

And I'm back! It's been a while, but God has taught me wonderful things in the last season and I hope to be pouring them all out soon. :) Sometimes it's necessary to hibernate a bit, to let all the wisdom and lessons learnt sink in, to turn the worm into a butterfly. Well, on that note, let me just comment that I'm not sure if this butterfly is flying yet, but she's definitely peeping out of the cocoon and preparing to fly, all the while thinking "eeeek, this looks seriously scary!"

I'm going to focus on the worm and cocoon phase in this post and then write another one on the butterfly. I think it might be too long for one post. So here goes! Metamorphosis is never easy. Being the worm is the easy part I think, gathering information and munching on every new leaf that God gives you and there are lots. It's green and revelations are everywhere, it's an easy season where you can just stuff yourself full of all the goodness of God. I think that it's important to enjoy yourself in this season and not to push yourself into the cocoon. I can be quite fast paced and I often want to move quicker than I should. Moving too quickly takes the joy out of the now and it makes you miss things and feelings that are important. So relax, enjoy and be content. The growing is inevitable and will happen soon enough.

The point of the "worm" phase is to prepare you for the cocoon, the change, the stretching. The phase builds trust, courage and prepares you for the challenges of change that lie ahead. Without the "worm" phase you wouldn't have enough to sustain you in the cocoon. There's no need to be afraid of the cocoon, it's merely a phase in which you apply the things which you have learnt and really cement new revelations. Plus you have been adequately prepared for anything which lies ahead in the cocoon. God will always provide you with what you need, before you need it. Fear, on the other hand, will always try to discourage you, but it is the time to practice what you've learnt and to stand up against any fear.

It makes sense to me in this way: the worm phase is for learning, the cocoon phase is for applying and the butterfly phase is for teaching and showing others. The cocoon is therefore necessary, because you can only really teach and demonstrate once you have applied the knowledge yourself. This experience builds confidence and boldness and gives you the courage to push out of the cocoon and fly.

So in whichever phase you are, relax, enjoy and push through knowing that the time to fly will surely come!

Photo credit: favim