The Cocoon Season

What do you do when you find yourself with unanswered prayers? What is your response when the choices you made don't seem to be adding up and your next move seems impossible to make?
Tonight, despite the rain, Pearls of Hope nuzzled into couches with coffee and confidence, discussing these exact life issues. "And We are Changed", by Priscilla Shirer was the book in everyone's hand and we couldn't help but bubble over with excitement over the subjects that were highlighted in our latest

read.

"Do you understand that when Jesus loves you, it doesn't matter how bleak your circumstances appear? It doesn't matter how dark life looks from the inside of the cocoon. He loves you...What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, God calls a butterfly"!

There are places and spaces in each of our lives where we feel as if we are unseen by God or we feel as if we are in a small confined experience, unable to move or see, discern or make productive choices. This is our cocoon season and we each find ourselves there from time to time. But we are never unnoticed by God. So often, we are so busy trying to bypass this season or skip it all together, because it's uncomfortable and sometimes even scary. But it is in the dark cocoon where the caterpillar is transformed!

"I want to be changed by God into what He wants for me. What we want is nothing compared to what His plans are and we can't miss out. If we miss out then we won't know what it's like to be that butterfly. It takes faith to endure the cocoon seasons, so we have to be prepared to pray more and trust God's process. The "cocoon season" spoke to me. It was my favorite part of the book and I wrote it on my mirror."- Brandi Joy Meyers

The discussion over this book as magnetic! One by one, each of us had comments to share on lessons we have learned or are continuing to learn. We laughed and joked, expressed our frustrations, encouraged each other and determined that, even in our dark times of confusion or anxious desires for what we hope will come, we can trust God to produce a beautiful change within us and bring us to the place where we can fly in our purpose and soar on the wings of His unfailing love!

Maybe you are in a cocoon season right now. You're not alone! You have so much promise! You are more than your circumstances! You are not defined by your current condition. The cocoon is not forever. It's only the end to a beautiful beginning! Christ has more in store for you than you could ever hope or imagine!

Believe God's truth with all of your heart and trust His process of transforming you into the beauty of His vision for you!

-Katrina McCain, President