Greetings in Christ,
I like to work with wood. I like the texture of the wood and how it looks with its grains running through it. One of the benefits of wood it is can be turned into something different than it was in its original form. Many different varieties of wood make the imagination unlimited in the designs a person can create or dream of making out of wood. So, when a piece of wood stands out it is sought out by many to create something new and exciting out of the wood that has caught their eye.
In my time living in Colorado, I had the opportunity to see what a tree looked like that grew of the side of the Rocky Mountains. On the outside it looked normal as it was growing, but when the tree died or had to be removed, the inside of the tree told another story. A cross section of the tree revealed another detail that was not known as the tree was growing.
Normally the tree rings in the cross section of the tree form and grow evenly as it grows. The trees which grow on the mountain have a different growth pattern to it. The rings in the tree are tighter on one side than they are on the other side. The front side which is subject to the wind form tighter rings than on the back side of the tree which gives the tree a different look when you see a cross section of the tree. Many find it interesting to look at, but to a wood worker it sparks a different appeal.
The way the tree grows as it is subject to the wind creates something which the woodworker desires to work with. It sparks an interest to create something new and work with the design to make a unique design. It is also desired because of its tighter ring pattern because it can stand more stress when building wood working projects. The wood which comes from the tree(s) can be very costly depending on the ring pattern. This wood is highly desired by those who know the value and understand what it took for the tree to form its rings. The stress the tree had to endure in its time of growth makes it valuable to those who create wood working projects.
We do not always consider the things which something has to endure to make it more valuable to those who appreciate what it does to its formation in its life. We do not think of trials and tribulations as something which builds strength in a person’s life. Paul touches on this in Romans by writing about tribulations a person must endure in their life. Paul states trials and tribulations builds character in a person, which character strengthens a person’s ability to stand the stress it must endure, but it has to be based upon the faith in which they trust God to give them the strength.
We do not always consider it takes many trials and tribulation to build those layers of strength to have the ability to stand against the pressure of life. Just as the tree rings form in layers, the more rings it develops the more strength it must stand up against the wind in has to endure. The tree’s inner makeup is to stand up straight despite the wind trying to force it to bend.
With God living in us we have the desire to stand up against the force of life not to bend despite the trials and tribulations of life. It is the living God inside of us which gives us the strength to develop those rings of strength. It is those rings of strength which God desires to use to create something more beautiful in us, and they are more valuable in God’s eyes. God knows what it took for us to develop those rings of strength, and it is those rings of strength God uses to create something new and exciting in us or out of us depending on His design for His creation.
One day when God calls for the trumpet to be sounded for His children to come home, those trials and tribulations will be rings of strength Gods sees as beauty in His eyes. He will look at what He has created as something very valuable, and He will treasure them for eternity for He knows what it took to create those rings of strength.
“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the lyre, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.” Psalm 147:1-11
Lord may we look at trials and tribulations as rings of strength in You. Amen
Blessings,