God’s Cocoon and Life’s Greatest Lesson

Happy New Year everyone. May God richly bless you in 2026.

The older I get the more friends I see pass into eternity. I also pray for more people with life-threatening conditions. You may be aware that well-known political pundit Victor Davis Hanson had major surgery this past weekend. We are asking God to give him more years of “imparting wisdom.”

I, too, am facing a new physical challenge (related to my autoimmune system). These physical “tests” in the last chapters of earthly life remind me of “Life’s Greatest Lesson.” 

Here’s what I mean. 

God’s Cocoon and Life’s Greatest Lesson

Some years ago, my wife and I participated in a small group meeting where the question was asked, “What season of life are you in?” (They meant “fall” = things are going downhill, “winter” = life is hard, “spring” = things are improving, and “summer” = life is great!).

When my turn came to answer, I said to the group, “I don’t really accept the premise of the question. Life doesn’t revolve around our feelings. The truth of the Good News places me in eternal summer because years ago I discovered the secret of happiness.”

I wasn’t trying to be a troublemaker, just honest about a very important idea.

The normal way most theologians describe this biblical lesson doesn’t carry the same positive ring. In fact, a famous saint called it “The Dark Night of the Soul” (St. John of the Cross). But its primary name is “Death to Self,” and all experienced it in biblical times and continue to do so in the modern world—for their good.

The second largest best-selling book of the past forty years (after the Bible) is Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life. It begins with this profound little sentence:

“It’s not about you.”

I agree. The greatest lesson in life and the secret of a happy life is death to self. It’s our necessary response to receive Christ’s salvation. Dying to ourselves–repenting and believing– involves:

• Laying down all self-effort and turning away from sin.
• Coming alive to love and serve God.
• A change of center in your thoughts and motivations.
• Giving up your own personal happiness as your goal in life and living to make God happy.

Finding personal happiness through self-effort is like chasing a shadow. You can never quite grab it. True happiness comes when we give it up as an end in life and live for the glory of God.

When we make that choice (and renew it each day), a deep settled joy (happiness) permeates our being. It’s how we were made to live. We don’t find it by striving.

We find it by dying.

Death to self is the repentant and faith-filled action that reconciles a person to God. In humility, you say to your Creator and Savior, “I was wrong. Forgive me. I will live for you, not me.”

You die to your self-centered pride.

We also face the death to self “choice” in various practical areas of life including personal dreams, marriage, children and grandchildren, vocation, church, friendships, finances, and health. God uses these challenges to get us to die to self-effort and control and yield ourselves to Him alone.

I’m writing today on this topic out of present experience. For the past two months I’ve had widespread bodily inflammation that has not responded to medication. A test in November revealed a problem with my autoimmune system which fights disease and inflammation (God’s “health services department” in your body).

I’m seeking answers, but mainly I’m dying to plans and desires each day and learning once again to rely upon God. That involves dealing with pain, prayer, submission to His will, and waiting–while living by simple faith.

A while back God spoke to me during my daily devotions out of Psalm 43: 5: (The Message):

“Why are you down in the dumps dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.”

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was told later in his life that he was going blind. Instead of despairing or worrying, he reportedly exclaimed:

“I’ve served God with my eyes. Now I’m going to serve Him without my eyes!”

Notice the focus. It was not about him. It was all about living for the glory and happiness of God.

All of us will experience the ultimate form of life’s greatest lesson at the time of physical death. Many experience weakness, loss of function, pain, and many other difficulties as they endure the process of leaving this body and facing God in the spirit.

I’ve had a couple of good friends who passed away recently who didn’t fear death itself but did have some anxiety over the process of dying before their graduation to eternal life.

During the physical death process, no one wants to go through difficulty and suffering. But God uses it to help us get right with him, die to self effort and control, and submit to his will–just as Jesus faced physical torture and death:

“Not my will but yours be done (Luke 22:42)”

That’s the best application of life’s greatest lesson.

It’s not about me. “When I’m weak, then I’m strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10) because God becomes bigger in my life (consciously giving him his rightful place).

Whether you’re suffering or not, die to yourself today. Bask in God’s eternal salvation and simply ask for his daily marching orders. Then do them with all your heart. Joy and blessedness will meet you coming and going as you live by faith in Him.

The following quotes are my favorites on the wisdom and necessity of death to self.

“The Cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life. The Cross meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a person, he bids him to come and die.”–Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The man who has died to self has no ambitions, so he has nothing to be jealous about. He has no reputation, so he has nothing to fight about. He has no possessions, so he has nothing to worry about. He has no rights, so he can’t suffer any wrongs. He is already dead–so no one can kill him.” –Leonard Ravenhill

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” — Jesus in John 12:34,35.

Is God Building Your Cocoon?

I’ve often described physical death as God building a cocoon around us that gets tighter and more restraining each day. We get weaker and more helpless. The strands begin to restrict many aspects of life until we can’t do anything physically but yield our lives and future to God.

The beautiful aspect of this analogy is when a caterpillar is completely stuck in the confining cocoon (photo above), an amazing metamorphosis takes place and it emerges as a BUTTERFLY.

The “death to self” of the caterpillar is the means of its transformation. The same is true for us. We must go through it spiritually to be glorified forever.

If you’re experiencing God’s cocoon, don’t resist it. Embrace with joy (James 1:2-4).

It’s your true launching pad into eternal bliss with God and his people.

Next Week: My View of the World 2026