Growth

Have you ever witnessed a butterfly emerge from a cocoon? I had the opportunity this fall to see that process for the first time. It is incredible. (that I recall… my apologies to some amazing science teacher out there that likely taught me at some point).

Here are the basic steps:

A caterpillar is hatched from an egg.
The caterpillar, or at this point, technically a larva, stuffs itself with leaves…. growing and growing and thru a series of molts it sheds its skin.
The caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside down from a twig or leaf and spins itself miraculously a silky cocoon, the proper name: “chrysalis.”
Within that casing it goes through RADICAL transformation and one day, BOOM… it EMERGES as a butterfly! (Only 10-14 days in this phase!)

So, I asked a good friend what she thought of when I said the phrase, “Emerge Energized,” and with a science background, she expressed the thought through this lens. Of course it was brilliant so I totally stole the idea from her. But, here’s the real question: What happens during that RADICAL transformation? I mean, what in the world could happen in such a very short period of time to create such a stunning creature?

In short, cells are organizing… They use the substance surrounding them, a protein-rich “soup” if you will, to fuel the rapid growth and form their best selves. This is where today’s primary message is directed.

Just how do us humans get this magical protein-rich “soup” to help us accelerate our growth… to help us have that spiritual, financial, relational, focus we so desire? (So many other categories, but those are strong contenders.) Folks, to me this points directly to the importance of community and surrounding ourselves with the people that are helping us become better people. I’ve shared this before, but it bears repeating... Are your closest friends and family bringing you closer to your best self? Is your spiritual life better because of their presence? Are they moving you closer to or further from your health goals? Do they elevate you and of course likewise? Do you encourage one another? Hold each other accountable? In short, do they make you better?

We CAN emerge energized. We can in fact, become stronger at this “life game” every day, but we cannot do this on our own. We need to be focused on who it is that speaks into our lives and we need to bring in those that can help us if we don’t have those people today. As we start the year, it seems the ideal time to run thru this exercise in each of our key categories of focus, such as those listed above, and then if we have a gap, develop an intentional strategy to ensure we have the right people on our team. I can assure you it’s worth your time. I have a bit of work to do and honestly I’m excited about new conversations and continuing to learn.

*This seems like a good time to throw this out there… so glad Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and others are on our TEAM! GO CHIEFS!

Did you ever have an “a-ha!” experience, which seemed so obvious that you can’t believe it didn’t occur to you earlier? I was pulling some weeds over the weekend and was perplexed by a couple that I couldn’t figure out if they were truly weeds or an intentionally planted flower or bush of some sort. I stopped and added the title of this blog as a note to my phone.

The whole “weeding” process is important for a lot of reasons (I am far from any expert gardener, but some of them are so dang invasive that I can imagine them choking the life out of my nearby plants trying to thrive.)

My research on this whole weed thing got a little out of hand pretty quickly… lots of information… For example, did you know:

Weeds protect the soil? (Now, think of life’s weeds: Those troublesome situations we find ourselves in. I think there is a lesson here for us –– they protect us!)
Weeds may fertilize the soil? (Again, the challenges almost always make us stronger. Growth almost requires weeds.)
Weeds condition the soil? Specifically, “they provide channels for rain and air to penetrate.” (And the parallels to life’s journey continued on as I read … but I’ll stop here.)

I’ve always loved how Jesus teaches us in parables. He has a good one about the weeds. Seeds, too, but I will save that for another blog post.

For today, this thought about beautiful “weeds” really resonates. “Weeds are nature’s way of healing itself.” (Weeds- Guardians of the Soil, Cocannouer)

We need to pay attention to beauty. Even the type that comes disguised.