HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SIDE OF GOD’S GLORY?

Recently, I was sitting on the back porch looking up at our big oak tree. More than any other year, it’s bursting with incredible life! I thought for sure after the city came and whacked a good portion of it away from the powerlines, it would be a spindly sight this year. I was certain we had lost our majestic tree for good. But not so! This year its canopy is fuller and more glorious than ever! The shade its producing covers the entire porch, giving us total protection from the sun in the heat of the day.

As I was looking up and admiring its beauty, I started thinking about the last 10 years and how I can sympathize with that battered tree. Life has whacked off a bit of me. I lost my mom. I lost some dear friends. I have other friends that have been diagnosed with some serious illnesses. Family members have faced some personal challenges. Then my sweet husband was diagnosed with cancer. It’s been at times almost too much to bear.

With the hope of finding reason, I started contemplating, “What has this whacking produced in me? Am I stronger? Am I producing more shade for others?” My answer: I’m still a work in progress. I still have scars and even some open wounds from these last few years, but I do see God’s work in me. He’s teaching me to trust Him. He’s teaching me to lead with faith instead of fear. He’s remaining beside me, pouring out His grace and wisdom on me. Without a doubt, I am stronger because of Him. I wouldn’t wish this path on anyone, but I’m learning things and seeing God’s glory in ways I couldn’t have experienced any other way.

If you were to look at the backside of our oak, you would still see the price it paid for the work of the tree trimmers. It’s been hacked. It’s been whacked. It’s not that perfect shape anymore. But if you sit on the porch side and look up, it’s still living and breathing. It’s strong and majestic. It’s our beloved tree that protects and gives us so much pleasure. If you’ve been whacked by life, know that with God you’re not headed for a spindly tomorrow. Instead, He’s creating in you new life and a stronger core. I can guarantee He has plans for you because He still has plans for me. I don’t understand it, but I’m learning that many times God allows it because He wants to help us grow stronger where He can produce in us a greater part of His glory.

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. These bodies of ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).