Sweet Revenge

An enormous oak tree in our yard was dead and had to be taken down to avoid branches falling on the car in the driveway or the entire tree on our dwelling.  It was more than we could handle on our own, so we hired a tree guy to do the job, while we were absent.  We understood that he would lower the dead tree from the top down in segments.  But instead, he just dropped the whole tree across the yard, and in its stead, left a sheath of destruction where the huge tree fell. 

He cut up and removed the carcass of the tree, no doubt to sell the wood.  But he left a mess behind, bulky dead branches littering the yard, smaller trees broken by the impact, and a massive rhododendron bush smashed beyond recognition.

Needless to say, after several weeks, it became apparent that he was not coming back to clean up the aftereffects.  Yesterday, we began the clean-up ourselves, hauling dead broken branches and debris into a pile in order to restore the yard.  

 

The rhododendron had suffered the greatest loss, for sure.  But deep within its inherent design, this large beautiful bush is resilient beyond belief.  No matter if branches are broken off, no matter if it is torn apart by a violent storm, no matter if it is ground into the earth, a rhododendron sets down new roots where it falls.  And yet another bush is born.  That is how it spreads its beauty in the forest, evergreen throughout the seasons, bearing an awesome display in early summer with huge pink or white blooms as if a wedding were taking place.  One smashed or broken branch propagates into even more rhododendron seedlings, as if sweet revenge. 

Its strength lies in its resiliency.  As does ours.  God can redeem that crushing blow into great good beyond us and beyond our imagination.

With what should stop us in our tracks, God roots and plants a forest of flowering trees that will bear fruit for generations to come.  It is not so much what happens to us, but what we let God do with it.  God redeems.

Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing,
now it springs forth,
     do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
      and rivers in the desert.

                               Isaiah 43. 18-19