The Caterpillar in the Cocoon by Debbie Simler-Goff

As a child, I loved to find caterpillars and place them in a large glass jar with grass and, of course, a stick so they could make their cocoon. It was awesome to watch this furry little worm spin itself into a living tomb, then hibernate on that stick for the length of time it took to become a butterfly.

I’ve often wondered if the caterpillar knows it is going to become a butterfly while it’s isolated in the pitch-blackness of the cocoon. Maybe God doesn’t tell the faithful little caterpillar that there will be an end to its suffering. Maybe that furry little worm only has the promise that “All things work together for the good, to those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Maybe, in desperation, the caterpillar prayed all night and went on a lengthy fast in an effort to persuade the Almighty to release him from his oppression. Maybe he didn’t understand why his Abba Father would allow such a terrible occurrence to happen to him. The caterpillar and I have much in common.

My personal cocoon came in the form of depression. I had good company for this, as Elijah, Charles Spurgeon and Nona Freeman have all struggled with this insidious disease. The “black cloud”, as Freeman calls it, comes without warning and is no respecter of persons. It saps your strength and plunges you into despair so real and thick that it often feels like you will never recover. It is in this state of hopelessness that the barren soul, like Elijah, begins to question his very existence and hurl petitions at Jehovah to take his life because it suddenly doesn’t seem worth living.

We all have cocoon experiences in our walk with God. These are times when it seems as if God is a million miles away, and He’s just letting us sit on that stick and wait in our own private darkness, completely cut off from the outside world. Often these times are accompanied by a lack of sensual awareness of the Holy Spirit, leaving the person feeling completely and utterly alone, adding a whole new dimension to the phrase “walking by faith.”

It is how we respond to these times in our lives that interest God the most. He wants to bring an equally magnificent transformation to our lives as the changing of a drab grub that saw everything at ground level to a colorful butterfly that rides the skies! But we must trust Him. The definition of trust according to Webster’s Dictionary is “to believe without fear of the outcome.” That means that no matter what our current situation is, we know that God is in it and is working a perfect work in us.

Simply put, He loves us too much to let us out of our personal metamorphosis early. We know from science class that to cut open the cocoon before it is ready would bring deformity and death to the caterpillar. Likewise, our heavenly Father know that no matter how much we may implore him to let us out of our personal darkness, it is not best for us.

So, if you- like me- can identify with the caterpillars of the world, hang in there because your butterfly days are coming soon!

Featured Articles