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| Photos Courtesy of Bonnie Thomas |
TODAY THE WORDS are OUT OF SEASON. When the winter comes, and the trees become barren; we have a tendency to take on a hibernation spirit and find ourselves indoors more than outdoors. I woke up this morning and found myself in one of those moods. While checking on Facebook, I saw a great message from a very lovely lady who loves the outdoors and has an incredible garden (posting some of her beautiful flowers and plants from her own garden). I asked if I could share her message with all of you.
This is this morning’s message from Bonnie Thomas:
Sitting on my front porch this morning….the skies are gray and overcast, the trees are barren….you see I don’t find a lot of beauty in the winter, for I am very much a Spring and Summer girl. But as I look at the trees standing there stripped and naked with their arms out stretched to God….I am reminded in my spirit as tears fill my eyes…Spring is coming….and just like the trees we will bear fruit in due season. Thank you God for this reminder ….thank you for a New Year with new opportunities to serve you….I too with out stretched arms worship you…and thank you for every blessing. “Great is His faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lam.3:23
This message was complete within itself and I hesitated to add to it; but a few thoughts rambled through my mind so I didn’t think Bonnie would mind. When I thought about the trees in the photo Bonnie took; I thought about the roots of those trees feeding all of those limbs and waiting and waiting for their efforts. Roots bear the weight of those magnificent trees and have to be firmly planted. They are subject to the heavy rains and if they could experience fear; it could make them quiver when storms come through and start washing away the soil from them and the earth seems to move and sometimes they are washed away or at least uprooted.
When I thought about the roots; I thought how they must struggle to reach out far enough in the drought season to sip enough water to feed those trees and the trees keep growing and the demands get higher and still they try everything they can do to stay firmly planted. What a job the roots have and what impact their efforts have when Spring comes and everyone starts talking about the beauty of the tree. They don’t get any recognition. People don’t take pictures of many tree roots; the blooms and fruit get all of the attention.
Now for the deeper thought…..I thought about the connection between roots and us. We struggle to furnish for ourselves and our families. We weather storms; we hang on for dear life to make sure our families are protected from the heavy winds and rain, but we recognize the need for life’s nutrients in order for the prosperity of our family. We will stretch ourselves thin to make life as good as possible for all those who depend on us. It is true we may not get recognition for all of our efforts and some may go unnoticed. When our little branches grow out and flower or produce fruit; we beam for we know without our efforts and love; they may wither and die. Have you thought how God feels about all of his little branches….All of God’s children? Let us give God something to feel so proud of us.
A special thanks to Bonnie Thomas for her message which inspired me to write this message. I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful flowers this Spring.
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| Bonnie Thomas |
