I had read a quote by Fontaine, "I bend but do not break." And I thought, I don't know how much more I can take. And as I read Sun Stand Still my prayer was that people can see Christ's strength as I do not break.
In church one day, as the worship team sang the song Oceans, I had an image of a young tree, bending in a storm. Those are the trees that bend. Just because the tree bends doesn't mean it feels the storm any less. The tree can't change reality, it has no control over the external circumstance.
Then I had a second thought. A mature tree is one that has roots which runs deep into the earth.
Like the tree, mature Christians are the ones equipped with strength to withstand trials. But how does this image of the bending sapling align with the deep rooted tree, image of a majestic tree?
And then I thought: humility.
What mature trees are kept small, maintained - those that are pruned.
As we grow in relationship with our creator, our roots run deeper. Searching for food to nourish our souls. Stronger and stronger the tree grows. Roots run deeper as the tree begins to grow. Also, I learned that roots go deeper the dryer the climate gets, searching deeper for water.
Isn't this what believers are supposed to do? As our circumstances throw us into seasons of dryness, we are not allowed to shrivel and die. Instead, we have to search and reach for that nourishment. It is during those seasons that God also prunes the excess. He brings us back to that sapling.
And when the storm comes, the 'sapling' can bend.
Just some ramblings and musings.
In church one day, as the worship team sang the song Oceans, I had an image of a young tree, bending in a storm. Those are the trees that bend. Just because the tree bends doesn't mean it feels the storm any less. The tree can't change reality, it has no control over the external circumstance.
Then I had a second thought. A mature tree is one that has roots which runs deep into the earth.
Like the tree, mature Christians are the ones equipped with strength to withstand trials. But how does this image of the bending sapling align with the deep rooted tree, image of a majestic tree?
And then I thought: humility.
What mature trees are kept small, maintained - those that are pruned.
As we grow in relationship with our creator, our roots run deeper. Searching for food to nourish our souls. Stronger and stronger the tree grows. Roots run deeper as the tree begins to grow. Also, I learned that roots go deeper the dryer the climate gets, searching deeper for water.
Isn't this what believers are supposed to do? As our circumstances throw us into seasons of dryness, we are not allowed to shrivel and die. Instead, we have to search and reach for that nourishment. It is during those seasons that God also prunes the excess. He brings us back to that sapling.
And when the storm comes, the 'sapling' can bend.
Just some ramblings and musings.