Hope Tree

Living in Oklahoma, we experience extreme weather conditions - tornadoes, straight line winds, ice storms, heat, drought - even earthquakes! Like everyone, we clean up the messes, pick up the pieces, suffer through the heat, and deal with things the best we know how. In our backyard we have a small redbud three that has weathered just about every storm you can imagine. Twice the little tree has literally torn in two - with great branches hanging by a piece of bark, twisted and lying on the ground. After one such episode we almost cut it down. "No, please don't cut it down, yet!!" Spring rolled around, and, could it be? Yes! The little half tree had buds then leaves on it's remaining branches! Our little tree was alive and it didn't look horrible, maybe a little twisted and off center, but beautiful to me. Another winter, another ice storm - another crush of life and branches all over the ground. More pruning, more cutting, more life squashing. Lord, how much more can this little tree take?! Please, please don't let it die. Another cold winter, lots of snow, harsh cold - another spring, and - Oh my my goodness - lots of leaves on this little tree! Bent, bruised - torn - but beautiful. My little Hope Tree.

Life has it's share of storms too. Sometimes they come in waves, one right after the other, and we think how in the world are we going to make it through this? Sometimes they come crashing down on us, unexpected, harsh, almost unreal. Sometimes they are simply an undercurrent of sadness, things we can't resolve - issues that never seem to get better or go away, like a drought during a long hot summer. Life crushing, life sapping - Life. And, as I stand in front of my kitchen sink and look at our little mis-shapen tree I think - I can make it too. Losses don't have to destroy or define me but they can produce a kind of beauty in my life. I might be a little wiser, a little less self centered, and more humble in spite of being bruised and most definitely broken. Not who I was, but - beautiful. Jesus beautiful. A beauty that comes from deep inside fashioned by my heavenly Father, the one Who knows and understands and controls all of the events of my life. Who would have ever thought that bruised and broken could be beautiful? Thank you, God - and - thank you, little Hope Tree.

Psalm 51:17 -"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."
Isaiah 42:3 - "He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged."
Romans 5:3-4 - "We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."