In the Ashes
What if what is happening TO you is actually happening FOR you? For your good?
I don’t mean to take lightly the trials of this earth and our heart/emotions in the midst of it. Believe me. I understand. Stick with me.
In my devotions this morning, the author had done a study on trees. It broke her heart to see thousands upon thousands of trees burnt up from a forest fire and yet miraculously there was new growth amongst the rubble. HOW?? It peaked her curiosity and here is what she found out.
Did you know that the seeds of certain trees (pine, spruce, sequoia) produce cones that seal themselves shut with resin and they only melt and open with the heat of ? They REQUIRE the heat of fire in order to become all they were meant to be!!! On other words: The fire is the only thing that causes growth to take place.
Reminds me of a verse in Romans 5:3-4:
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
She poses the question “what if God allows the pressure and discomfort (fire) of our trials to serve as the catalyst for new growth?”
What seems (and is) so hard can actually cause us to dig deep and change for the better. This awareness also helps to eliminate the victim mentality and turns it to warrior mindset.
Take heart friends. I know how life can be - but good news!! We are all in the ashes together.