The Comfort Tree

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

A friend recently challenged me to find something to be thankful for each day. I’ve been trying to find things I usually overlook or take for granted. So today, I am thankful for trees. Actually, I am most grateful for one tree in particular.

Outside my bedroom window is a large shagbark hickory tree. I only recently truly became aware of this tree. One day, I realized it looked like a Walt Disney “tree person.” It has limbs on each side that look like arms – & branches shooting up into the air like hair on the top of its head. This tree, however, is a comforting tree & not a scary one.

As I sit & look at its steadfast nature—how solid & immovable it is—& how patiently it is waiting for springtime, I find myself thinking, “I’d like to be like that tree.”

As the leaves started to fall off in autumn, it accepted that loss gracefully. Would that I accept my losses as gracefully as my tree. Today, it is covered in ice & snow. Yet does it fret & try to change? No. It accepts the storms of the past few days & st&s with a quiet grace.

To some my tree might look dead, but I know the truth. Inside a beautiful life is waiting to get out in the proper season.

My tree brings me peace. My tree is one of the lovely lessons God is giving me, in the winter of my own life. I have endured many losses. My life seems cold & barren right now. And yet I know—I know—that comes the springtime, I will bear fruit again.

God will decide the timing of that season. I don’t need to worry or fret. I can st& solidly on God’s promises; I can choose to be immoveable. I can be patient. And when I forget . . . I can look out the window & see my ever-present reminder. The tree God gave me, planted years & years & years ago, to bring a blessing to me today.

Father God, I pray that you will place in the life of each reader, an ever-present reminder of you & your steadfast love. Amen.

About the author: Deni Weber lives in Valparaiso, Indiana & is challenged by Porphyria, Ankylosing Spondylistis, Celiac Sprue, & other chronic conditions. Deni sees God leading her on a “parade of daily adventures” towards knowing His love, mercy, & grace. Deni can be contacted at EncouragingWords@me.com. You can visit her website at http://www.pathwaysforchange.com/Encouragement .