Devotionals

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Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:5 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. NIV

A forest consists of a variety of trees and plant species. Towering evergreen trees, such as pine and cedar, keep their leaves all year, staying green even in frigid temperatures. Deciduous trees endure a season of shedding leaves, leaving the bark and limbs bare and exposed throughout the harsh winter months. A forest would not be as beautiful, nor would it survive without each type in place.

My heart’s cry throughout my struggles with constant sickness was simply the desire to be normal. I wanted a normal house in the suburbs, normal pregnancies, normal kids, a normal job, and above all, normal health. All of these desires were stripped away, seemingly lost forever due to this illness that took over my life. At times I was even jealous of cancer patients, who in my mind were surrounded by those rallying with abundant sympathy, understanding and support, whereas my life seemed spent in isolation with kidney disease and infertility, two areas with very little awareness and in some circles, taboo.

I wanted to be like a pine tree, never changing, always supplying fresh green needles despite any circumstance. Pine trees are never stripped bare and exposed, never having to go through a dormant state in order to live. Life is supposed to go just as smoothly- you’re born, you have a happy childhood, you become an adult, get married, have children and live happily ever after. Or so I thought.

Though evergreen trees never seem to change, they lack one important feature: flowers. Very few evergreens produce beautiful flowers to attract insects with a sweet fragrance. It is the same with you and I. It seems God’s presence and glory is not fully revealed until we reach the point where we cannot go on without His strength, comfort and enduring faithfulness. Struggles and trials reveal the Gospel in its purest form. Since God is infinite in wisdom and power, He doesn’t really need us to fulfill His plan, yet His desire is for us to know Him fully. All other priorities must be taken away to experience His sweet everlasting presence.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that when all other things are lost or taken away, I can feel your presence much stronger and clearly see your hand move in my life. Amen.

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