Butterflies Don't Live in Cocoons

Fun fact about me: I like to see what is coming. I like a sneak peek. Sometimes I read the end of a book first- just so I know what happens. I watch my workout videos in advance, just so I know what to expect. I want to be prepared- I don't want to be surprised. Mental preparation is how I thrive.

So imagine my surprise when God called me into something I didn't have a plan for. He asked me to step into an unknown with faith and obedience, without a plan; outside of my comfort zone, outside of my cocoon. -Insert hyperventilation here- "You want me to do what God? How? I don't have a plan. I don't even know where to start."

Two years ago God said to me this life changing statement, "Little Caterpillar, you have been in the cocoon for far too long. It is time to spread your wings and fly."

I am now a butterfly. There is no more regressing back to the cocoon- because I am not a caterpillar and butterflies don't live in cocoons.

Butterflies use their wings, unrestricted, to soar. To flourish. To prosper. Butterflies don't live in cocoons. They are made for more than the cocoon life can offer. When they leave, there is no going back.

Sometimes being a butterfly means venturing into the unknown, without a plan. That is where I find myself in this season, listening to the prompting of the Spirit, with no perfectly laid out plan in hand.

As you can imagine, this thought terrifies me. And the devil is torturing me with the lies of- "You aren't prepared. You are going to fail. You aren't ready."

But my God says this just isn't true. If God has called me, then he will prepare me. Perhaps God has equipped and prepared me, for this exact moment, "for such a time as this (Esther 4:14) ." These are the words God has spoken over me, over this situation. Truths that I know to be true.

But when the devil attacks, I want to regress to a state of fear over faith. I want to run and hide. But then I remember, God transformed me into a butterfly. He redeemed my fear and gave me courage.

So maybe, just maybe, in these moments I need to cling to this simple fact: "Butterflies don't live in cocoons."