GROWTH RINGS
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Today as I walked in the woods, doing some last-minute scouting for hunters coming in later in the week, I found several fresh buck rubs. I found one nice line of four rubs that followed a good deer trail through the underbrush just uphill from one of my stands. These rubs marked the way of at least one buck passing through that patch of timber.
Among many other rubs, I found one other rub that made an impression on me. It was obvious that this western red cedar had been rubbed many times, over the years. The bark had been ripped off and healed over and over again. You could see the damage that had been done, yet this tree stood strong.
If you were to cut a cross section of that tree you would see the years where the bucks had rubbed their antlers. At the end of each growing season the growth rings mark a passing year. Expanding its girth with a ring around its trunk. Not only do new rings provide strength to support, the new growth of branches and foliage, the story of the year is locked into its very fiber. The ring holds its history; the climate it endured, the seasons of scarcity and abundance, the narrative of sunlight, water, fire and buck rubs forever marks the tree.
And so, it is for us, when we take time to remember where we've been, what we've faced throughout the year and where we are going. Many of us will deal with years of spiritual and emotional drought, damage from outside sources that will wear us down and more. The signs of these periods are clearly marked in our "growth rings".
The ring holds its history; the climate it endured, the seasons of scarcity and abundance, the narrative of sunlight, water, fire and buck rubs forever marks the tree.
Yet when we feed ourselves with godly food, we can withstand the bad times. Our scars will show in our growth rings, but we can continue to grow and grow strong when we're rooted in God.
Our growth rings tell a story of our past. What they don't tell is the future that God has in store for us. Learning from damaged growth rings helps us to grow stronger for the future.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Help achieve the mission - GIVE today
Click the button to sign up for Dean’s Daily Devotional. FREE and delivered daily.