India Arie is one of my favorite artists of all times. I am probably a dying breed of people who listen to the lyrics of a song and use that to decided if I will continue to listen. India Arie has the lyrical ability to reach into the core of who I am and make me examine myself. Her newest album Songversations had a song call Break the Shell. A portion of the song says

A life without pain is a wolf in sheep’s clothes

Cause if you listen to the lessons that it holds

You’ll find the gold

Child it’s time to break the shell

Life’s gonna hurt but it’s meant to be felt

You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself

You cannot fly until you break the shell

The lyrics continue to go into great depth about things in life that causes us to build a shell. Just as a caterpillar builds a shell to grow and be protected, so do we. Things happen in our life that causes us to shelter ourselves from pain and hurt from the past. Life quickly teaches us how to guard ourselves from the hurt and pain we once felt. However, sometimes we hold on to the shell and never let go. We become accustomed to not giving people and or goals our all for fear of feeling that pain or hurt again. Sure there is nothing wrong with protecting ourselves but at some point in time we have to break the shell.

The interesting thing about a caterpillar is that when it is ready to fully mature it goes into a cocoon. Going into a cocoon or a shell is the final step before becoming a beautiful butterfly that can soar and live the purpose it was made for. If a caterpillar never leaves its shell it can never fulfill its’ God given purpose. Shells make you a caterpillar. Caterpillars that break the shell fly into high heights. However, until it breaks the shell it is stuck on the ground. The messages that God gives you can’t be told until you break the shell. The friend that God put you in place to minister to cannot receive your ministry until you break the shell. The young lady who gets pregnant out-of-wedlock will not understand the gift that is growing inside of her womb until you break the shell.

Today is your day! Pray and ask God to help you to begin to break the shells of life that keep you from fulfilling the purpose of God. God loves you so much and he wants you to be a witness for him if only you can break the shell.

Becoming a butterfly,

Felicia Smith