In The Messy Middle?

I have an important story to share about the messy middle. Something tells me you need to hear this today. 

Once there was a tiny caterpillar who one day climbed a branch and built a cocoon - the home that would encase her fragile body for the next three weeks. Inside the dark little tomb, the caterpillar began her mysterious process of rebirth. 

(While we all know what happens from here, I’m curious if you know what would happen if you were to rush her process?)

Weeks later, along came a child, who found the butterfly beginning to emerge ever so slowly. The child sees the little creature struggling and decides to help. 

Using a small pair of scissors, the child gently cuts away the film that appears to be preventing the insect from escaping. Viola! Now the butterfly is instantly free. 

But the butterfly that emerges has tiny wings and a thick, deformed body. The child counts down the days, expecting to witness the butterfly’s transformation into the spectacular specimen he was expecting. The butterfly however only grows weaker and eventually dies. 

The boy later learns that the butterfly must struggle in her birth in order to develop fully. The pressure of the cocoon’s restricted walls forces the fluids from her thick body into her wings, thinning out her torso and supplying the required fuel for her wings to expand. No pressure, no expansion. 

What do you do when you are stuck in ‘messy middle’ - that space in time when you deeply desire a change - but it’s just not showing up quickly enough? 

How do you handle the waiting, anticipating, and doubting? 

Are you able to override the inevitable fear with faith and conviction of what’s to come or do you begin to push? Can you tolerate the time it takes to blossom into your most exquisite self or will you take a short-cut and settle for a lesser version? Just curious. 

Sometimes you have to lean into the lessons available. 

Sometimes we need reminders and support to stay the course, trusting the invisible forces to do their magic. Sometimes we need someone to hold the space and cheer us through the messy middle.