In October 2016, I published my first book, “Put an Egg In It”. So, you may wonder what is really going on with this title. Well, I will not spend a lot of time going into the title but will rather spend time sharing the content from one of the chapters. Someone asked me what my favorite chapter was and I must say all of the them, but if I had to share a favorite chapter, it would be Chapter 4. Why you might ask? Well, it’s a part of life that we all can certainly relate. The name of the Chapter is “The Struggle”. Let’s talk about “THE STRUGGLE”.
How many of you admire the beauty and grace of the butterfly? Oh yes, we love them, right? People are so fascinated with the butterfly that there are designated areas in the local zoos and botanical gardens to share in the amazing beauty of the butterfly. But guess what? Butterflies do not start out as a beautiful butterfly with the amazing colors. There is a process to get to that level of beauty. As with a butterfly, there is also a process for us as children of God. Every one of us can share a piece of our testimony of our journey thus far and we can attest to the fact that we do not look like what we’ve been through. The butterfly from a caterpillar is developed through the process called metamorphosis. This is a Greek word that means transformation or change in shape. Romans 12:2 (NIV) reminds us “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
One transitional stage of the butterfly from a caterpillar is the Pupa or better known as the chrysalis stage. For the caterpillar, this stage may last anywhere from a few weeks and in some case up to a couple of years. It may not look like anything is going on or happening but BIG changes are taking place on the inside. How many of you feel that way in life at times? Do you feel hopeless at times because when you look in the natural from the outside, it appears that nothing is changing for you? You have prayed many days and nights, experienced sleepless nights, or perhaps just laid awake at night speechless and crying on the inside. Well, there is good news. Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6 (NIV), “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. God is doing a great work on the inside of us. It’s not a matter of what you and I feel, but a matter of trust, hope, and faith in God. Our total reliance must be on our Lord God. Just as with the butterfly from a caterpillar, nothing in the transformation and process is wasted, God will not waste any area of struggle. He will use it all and it will become what we need upon our transformation. The butterfly from a caterpillar has special cells that were present earlier that will now become their legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the butterfly. You see, the Lord is going to use every struggle, every hurt, every hurdle and every area of pain to strengthen your wings. He’s going to give you beauty for your ashes, oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3 KJV). After you go through what you are going through right now, you are going to SOAR because your wings have been strengthened by your pain. Again – you see – God does not waste anything. He uses it all for His plan and purpose for your life. You will not only fly like a butterfly, but you will SOAR like the Eagle.
“What does it mean to struggle? One definition is to make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction. When looking at the butterfly and caterpillar, you will find that a struggle is simply a bridge that leads us to the place of change. It’s an unknown place, and therefore it is hard for us to adjust in the struggle. During the transformation of the caterpillar to a butterfly, there is a wonderful change taking place. It’s not an easy or an overnight change. There is a struggle involved in that change and so it appears to be a struggle involved in the change. During the metamorphosis of the caterpillar to a butterfly, the caterpillar has to eat and find nutrients to sustain its growth. While the little creature waits for the change, it must continue to grow because there is a great work (remember) taking place on the inside. During this life cycle, the caterpillar sheds its old skin. It gets rid of old stuff in preparation for the new stuff. The shedding of old skin brings about the outer demonstration of the beauty to come. To the naked eye, it may look as though the caterpillar is struggling to shed that final layer of skin, but in realizing, there is a wonderful change taking place. The Lord created the caterpillar with the ability to protect itself from prey or any other creature that could bring harm or danger. If the Lord would give the caterpillar this ability, what protection does He give His children? He gives us the Power of The Holy Spirit. In the process, the caterpillar lies motionless for some time until final metamorphosis. As children of God, we need to learn to be still (Exodus 14:13). God takes us through seasons of hiding and shedding so that He can finish the good work in us. When we emerge from those seasons, others can see the beauty that always laid within us. Just as the butterfly emerged into amazing beauty and grace, so shall we.
I encourage you to trust the entire process and watch the breakthrough happen in your life.
With love and hugs,
Donna