The Struggle from the Cocoon
Joyce Bullion of Waipahu, HI, USA
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; God is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them…because they take refuge in God. -Psalm 37:39-40, adapted
Many of us go through life wounded-physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We often have high expectations-dreams of getting married, perhaps having children, and a home with a yard and a white picket fence. When life does not turn out that way, disappointment twinges. We sometimes become disillusioned and skeptical of the blessings we have.
When we are transparent in our brokenness, light enters our wounds and we reflect an even stronger light. I have found if we give our pain to God, we are lifted and strengthened in our Lord and Savior. As we continue to praise God and pray for direction, our lives will be of service in love. Often our toughened scars strengthen us, and we are better able to help others as we share ourselves.
I heard a story of a man who found the cocoon of a butterfly. He decided to help the butterfly by snipping off the remaining bit of the cocoon with a pair of scissors. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The butterfly’s wings never did grow large enough to fly. It spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body. The struggle to leave the cocoon is nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, we would see no need to struggle. We would be immobilized. We need to take everything to God and let Divine light form and strengthen us.
Prayer Phrase
I surrender into your love, O God.
Spiritual Practice
Surrender
What might it look like to surrender a little to God each day? A simple prayer of surrender can help us become aware of God’s consistent invitations to deeper relationship and awareness. Imagine when you encounter a challenging person or situation silently uttering this prayer, “I surrender into your love, O God.” The same prayer can be meaningful in moments of joy and gratitude as a way of returning to the awareness of oneness with God. It’s ok if we don’t surrender everything all at once all the time. The prayer of surrender is a constant practice of returning little by little to the deepest love that is the ground of our being and desires wholeness and oneness for us and all creation.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
