We always have the choice between mourning for what was or celebrating what is.
About a month ago, we had some unseasonably warm weather. Everything started blooming. Then, we were slammed with a cold snap. For four nights, my hubby and I covered our tender hydrangeas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t cover our fig tree. It’s really big, but also very established and we felt like it would be ok.
It had already put out some nice big leaves. While the hydrangeas that we were able to cover had little brown spots on the ends of their leaves showing some damage, the fig leaves turned completely brown and withered. The hydrangeas bounced back fairly quickly, but our fig tree showed no sign of life for a long time.
I began to worry about it a little bit. Had the cold snap killed that mature tree?
Finally, I saw some signs of life, a few little green nodes. It was slow, but it finally started coming back. I removed most of the dead leaves, but a few were too high for me to reach. As I was examining it this week, I was amazed at all of the new green growth bursting around what looked completely dead. I had allowed myself to become discouraged because I couldn’t see signs of life.
But, that fig tree, with its established, deep root system, was at work beneath the surface. Life was still there and regeneration was going on even though I couldn’t see it.
As I looked at the withered leaves still hanging on the branches among the new bright green ones, I was reminded how easily we can get discouraged in our own cold and dark seasons. We too, sometimes believe that our prayers aren’t heard or that growth, regeneration and redemption aren’t possible.
But, God sometimes starts at our roots and the important, hard work that goes on, happens on the inside. That work and growth sometimes take a lot longer than we think it should. We wonder if change will ever occur, but then it does and life bursts forth, just like those tender brand new leaves.
I could mourn what was lost when I think how big the original leaves would have been without the cold snap.
Looking back and mourning what could have been is always a choice.
But, as I marvel at a tree that looked completely lifeless a couple of weeks ago, I choose to celebrate its life and new growth, so very thankful that it made it through a dark time. It reminds me that I should do the same during my own dark times. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂