Jewels From JudyTuesday, March 05 2013
The Cocoon About a year after surrendering my life to the Lord, I was sitting in my room when all at once I saw a white scroll roll half way down the top, right corner of the wall. This scene played on it like a movie: I saw a man who was distraught and weeping bitterly. He was bent down on one knee and his face was buried in his hands as he wept bitterly. He writhed in grief, despair and self-loathing. His sobs were heart-wrenching. I felt desperate to help him, but I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a hand appeared above him holding out a Bible. The man looked up in his broken state and with hope in his eyes he reached up and accepted the gift being offered to him. As he opened the Book, the words came off the pages like silk thread. The beautiful strand began to wrap around the man and encircled him until I couldn’t see anything but a large white cocoon. The cocoon was very still for a period of time. Then it slowly began to rock back and forth, and soon there was more and more movement. I could tell there was a struggle going on inside. The cocoon began to split and then suddenly it tore open. A huge butterfly adorned in stunning, heavenly colors came bursting out; it quickly flew across the room in front of me and out my window! It was bigger, more vibrant, exquisite and beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined. I looked back at the screen in the right corner of my room hoping for an instant replay, but the scroll rolled up and disappeared. This experience spoke deeply to me. The silk thread is symbolic of how God’s word can ‘cocoon’ and transform us from a wretched state of being to a new creation. The butterfly represents our being reborn of the Holy Spirit and our ability to take flight in Him. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 This is not possible without having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and accepting the gift offered to us by the Father. When we receive Jesus, the word made flesh, as our Savior we have promises that the Father will fulfill in us. Like the butterfly, our transformation is unmistakable! And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 Without God’s Spirit working to transform us, we are broken, naked, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and lost. When we allow ourselves to be transformed by His word, we become whole, clothed, joyful, loved, and rich with wisdom and hope! Until we come to that broken place, we can never know how much we truly need God. When the Word of God is opened up to a broken heart, then the Lord can make miraculous changes in even the most miserable of souls. His Word will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 It takes time to make a transition into a life IN CHRIST, but the beauty of being a new creation is worth the struggle that occurs on the inside of the ‘cocoon’. Without the struggle, the butterfly, like us, would not be made strong enough to take flight. As we invest in other people’s lives by ‘handing’ them a Bible in God’s timing, may we bring the transforming power of the Father’s love into their lives. It is well worth it to invest our own resources to get Bibles into the hands of those who need it. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” Luke 12:34 Will we be ready and willing to give what is needed to bring the Father’s prodigals home when they have ‘come to themselves’? If we do, we might just see the transforming power of God’s cocoon! Scriptures to Ponder: |
