Braces, barrel curled bangs, and the cocoon stage. Ah, seventh grade. I remember not quite knowing what to do & when. There were always many tears and tons of questions. No matter what I brought up, my mom always had the most beautiful answer. I’d lay on her lap and she’d stroke my hair and say ”Sweetheart, the time you’re going through right now is just the cocoon stage. Every beautiful butterfly must go through the cocoon stage, or they wouldn’t be who they were meant to be.” James puts it a bit differently saying, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Usually when I think of perseverance, I think of running a race… an outwardly straining situation where you push yourself until you can’t go on anymore. But lately, I think of the cocoon stage. It takes perseverance to stand, to wait until there is completion in the work the Lord is doing in your life. It takes perseverance to say “I’m ok to do nothing but burn up with love for the Lord.” That’s the cry of my heart. To be ok to just burn. To simply Stand In Love.
Word to that fellow wordpresser! That whole “pure joy” thing kind of punched me in the mouth, becuase really James is that necessary. Alas it is and oh how I want it! By the way standing in love what kind of shoes do you wear because I have always thought of love as squooshy and standing it might be tricky. But I have a feeling that’s not what you meant! Let the bells of Dunder Mifflin chime out your love!
I’m thinking the name is more like a throw back to Dances with Wolves. My name used to be stands with a fist, but after 5 weeks in Anger Management I decided to change it.
Wow. “To be okay to just burn.”
I’m going to just let that sink in for awhile.