The Joys of the Cocoons We Live In

The Joys of the Cocoons We Live In

                                                                                       Return to Main Menu

                                                           To follow A Daily Thought click>>>

John 3:16 NRS

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Luke 24:5 NRS

The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

We like our lives

We like:      Our Circle of friends              
                    Our beliefs
            Our problems, yes, often even our problems. 
            Our desire for the way things are.

Far too long and too often what it is we really like is
                   Our Cocoons We Live In.

We all have a ‘zone of comfort’ around us, a cocoon that many of us do not want to leave or venture from unless it seems safe for us.  In us, we know there is a better life, if we just had the courage to go find it.  Consider this example of an unborn baby.  

For an unborn baby, all the life that it knows, it has been surrounded by a warm bed, all the food it needs, seemingly no unfulfilled needs; but, in time it knows there is something on the other side and likely, it desires to know what is beyond its confines.  It hears things soothing and some things perhaps scary. It wants to grow despite its cramped living quarters; it wants to grow but is confined; it wants to grow but also likes where it is.  And, it is so much easier just to accept where it is.  It knows the other side, the other life is different, a new world is there!  Perhaps the baby is just content with where it is.  It is content with its discontent of being and existing in its limiting Cocoon.  It is all it knows.

For most of us, we feel OK in our cocoon:

We want more out of life, but do not want to leave our cocoon to change it.  

We desire life-to-the-fullest but we do the same old failed behaviors trying to reach it and achieve new results.  

We want newness in our lives, but not change.  

We may want more friends but shut out people different from ourselves.  

We dream dreams, but turn away at new opportunities.

Trapped by our own choice, we strangely accept our “freedom” in our cocoon, but are we really free?  Oh, we move freely around in our comfortable cocoon, but we are often restrained by fear.  Fear of real freedom if we venture forth, fear of failing in trying something new, we are restrained by “What will others think!”  Far too often “freedom” is just another word for the comfort we feel in the small life we have...in our cocoon.

Real freedom comes in by giving up our lives as we know it, moving forward, and trusting something beyond ourselves.  When you truly give your life to Christ, completely and totally, then in your daily living, life will change.

Have you ever thought that maybe the cocoon you live in is a quiet way you rebel against God?  Not living as God wants us to is rebellion against Him and leads to self-centered interest and general dissatisfaction with life.

If you are unsatisfied with the way things are in your life 

here are

       Four behaviors to break out of our self-made cocoon:

 

1.     Live your life daily in the example of Christ!

2.     Pray and pray and pray every day!

3.     Study, absorb and live God’s Word,

4.     Find people to share your Godly faith.

The Promise of Jesus is that when we accept Him as the Lord of our life, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and build your Faith in God to even Higher Ground and bring you peace.

Be of good courage, step out and do something new, exciting, maybe, even spectacular for Jesus.

You will be blessed by the Holy Spirit,
Live to never be satisfied with life in your own cocoon.

Jesus left His cocoon come to us, show us, and live with us, all because He loves us;  
     we serve a Risen Lord!




Thanks be to God.  
lonnie  

                                       

  

© lonnie coggins

   Return to Main Menu

==============================

Sharing these messages

You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or you can print the message and share it with your friends.

You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You will have to copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins

ldcoggins@gmail.com

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.

lonnie

Publication  0132

m 450715 3411

Hidden Opportunities in the Midst of Sorrow...

Hidden Opportunities                Return to Main Menu
 in the Midst of Sorrow
-- A dog of a story?

Matthew 5:47 NRS

“And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

Matthew 7:12 NRS

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”

It is sad that in the midst of our own sorrow or the sorrow of others we miss or fail to see the opportunity to help someone.

While driving to my home one morning recently, I saw a dog hit by an oncoming car.  To my sorrow, it did not stop, no one else was around and the dog was clearly distressed but alive.

There was nothing to do but stop.  When getting to the dog, still in the road, on coming traffic would soon arrive.  Luckily,  the first two vehicles stopped to help.   As thought, the dog was in deep distress but alive.... barely.

Someone was sent to the closest house, but about the same time a woman came out screaming.  I felt so bad for her and suddenly a feeling of gladness came to me that I and others had stopped.  The owner pulled her car as we were sliding the dog on to a flattened box.  The lady had no idea where a vet was, she had just moved in.

I told her to follow me to the vet.  I did not realize that only her and in her was my opportunity.

The vet staff took the dog directly to their laboratory.  I sat with the lady in a small room as she cried.  I slipped next to her, took her hand, and started praying with her.  While we were praying, the doctor came in and I ended the prayer in a few moments.  The lady was no longer uncontrollably crying.

The doctor talked about the extent of the serious injuries to the dog, head and chest trauma.  It was decision time for the lady on what to do.... she started weeping again.  The doctor left to check on the dog and we talked.  Before she could make a decision, the doctor came back and said, "She (the dog) has made the decision.  She is gone."  Did the lady cry?

Yes, but the heavy sobbing was not there, she had become much calmer.  We went to see the dog for her to say good bye and then left the dog to be buried and went to our cars.  Her crying was quiet now as we talked.

We never realize the comfort we can be to the strangers around us.  I had helped her come to grips of the passing of her best friend.  It matters not that it was a dog.  'Precious' will not be forgotten by the lady, neither will I.

If we do not help the people around us in their stressful times, then what are we here for?!  Stopping was not a "problem", an interruption yes, but it turned into a great opportunity to serve her. 

I feel that I gained the most by stopping to help her.

How many opportunities have I missed to help others and missed the opportunity to help them in their sorrow?   Too many.

Thanks be to God.                                 
     For interruptions.

© Lonnie Coggins        
                            Return to Main Menu

    

                                                                   

==============================

Sharing these messages

You are welcome to share these messages.  You can send the links to your friends,  copy and insert the link on FB or Christian.com or you can print the message and share it with your friends.

You can print the message including this sharing message only for your friends and for non-profit.  You will have to copy and paste the message to a word processing document.   After you copy and paste add the following at the end of the message:

© Lonnie Coggins

ldcoggins@gmail.com

If you desire to use any of these messages in a For-Profit manner you must contact me (email) for permission.  Typically, I will most likely give permission.

Please email me if you find any broken links in this message.

lonnie 

Publication  0122

m230084 45611