Metamorphosis by JoAnn Lampe

I was recently asked, “How do you picture the current status of your creative life?” As I sat in class with a blank screen in my head, I suddenly had the image of a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. It occurred to me that I was like that butterfly – emerging from the cocoon, the beginning of a new creation. I’ve spent so many years in “survival” mode that I haven’t emerged from the protective shell I built around myself.

Curious about the process of metamorphosis, I looked up the word online and found this definition at cocoon.org:

Metamorphosis: The name for rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some insects.

The Butterfly goes through four stages to become adult butterfly.

1. Egg: Female butterflies lay their eggs on plants.

2. Larva: Also called caterpillar. It emerges from the egg after a few days. The caterpillar spends most of its time eating.

3. Pupa: The caterpillar forms a protection shield called pupa when it has finished growing. Most of the transformation takes place inside pupa.

4. Butterfly: When the pupa has finished transformation, the butterfly emerges from the pupa.

A cocoon is a protective shell used by the insect as protection from a harsh or unfriendly environment. It has a hard protective coating that is often camouflaged so that predators can’t see it. Some insects stay within the cocoon for a few weeks, others stay in for an entire season: winter to spring. During this time, the juvenile parts break down and the adult structures form.

The insect has to work to extricate itself from its old skin, stretching, bending, and twisting from side to side. As the skin comes towards the rear of the body, it comes to a breaking point and stress points begin to appear. Sounds awful doesn’t it? However this skin shedding is an important part of the adult formation; if the process is left incomplete, the development also will be incomplete.

To come out of the cocoon, some insects bite their way through, while others use “spit” so they can soften the ends and push themselves through.

Wow! Did God give me a picture or what?! To protect myself from any more hurt, disappointment, and betrayal, I wrapped that cocoon tight around me. I didn’t stay there a short time, but for a long season. But in that season, I shed my old skin – my juvenile self – and grew wings. It’s time now for me to come out of the cocoon, the winter season is over and spring is almost here. I can feel the warmth of God’s breath as He breathes new life into me. I hear Him as He whispers, “It’s time to come out of your shell, to break free of the confines you’ve built around yourself – discover the beauty so long hidden and fly out into the world.”

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PS: “The rest of the story….” A week or so after I started to write this story, I was asked what skills and talents did I have a deep longing to awaken or further develop. I chose writing and counseling as areas I’d like to develop. As I prayed, I asked God to show me what I could do in the area of counseling; the thought of going back to school and starting an entire new career is not appealing to me, but I have such a heart ache to help women who have been through tough times.

“JoAnn”, God said, “your writing can be used to counsel and help those who have been through trying times.” Hmmm….what a great idea! So, I presented that in class, thinking wasn’t God so good to plant that idea in my head? But here’s where the rest of the story comes in. That same day, MaryAnn Mitchner preached about “wrestling with God.” She asked us to contemplate what in our lives we were wrestling with. Well, I was wrestling with emerging from that cocoon; what kind of butterfly was I going to be? Who am I? So, I wrestled with God, went up to the altar and randomly grabbed a Scripture verse, and tucked it in my Bible to read later…. This is what it said:

“Lord, You have called me Your ambassador, Your message carrier, the one You entrust with the secret things of Your heart to bring hope to people who live in darkness.” 1 Corinthians 4:1

So I ask, “Are you willing to wiggle out of your old skin, out of the immature stage, break free of the binding cocoon and soar into the beauty that God created in you?” Don’t wait, work free of the confines. They say the most beautiful butterflies come out of the ugliest cocoons! Fly, fly fly!