Fallen Trees

"Look out! It's coming down!!" When I was a very young boy one of my step fathers used to cut wood for the wood stove we had to keep warm. We always looked for dead trees where all the leaves had vanished. Sometimes when he was working on a tree, it would take a while for it to finally get the saw all the way thru the tree. But, when he finally got thru it, it was like this work of force as the tree started slowly falling with all it's weight to the ground.  The interesting thing was that in the forest it always hit other trees as it was coming down. Other tree limbs on other trees would get knocked off as it fell. I was thinking about this picture this AM and how in life, one of the most devastating things to watch is a man or woman falling. The sad thing is that for every one that falls, 10 or more are caught in the path. Those people get damaged as they see and experience these loved ones fall to the ground.  If we are to get our city, state, nation, or world on a better track, it must start with me as a man leading my family. Someone once said, “The ruin of a nation begin in the homes of it's people." Humbling and true. I am grateful this morning that we have tools in CR to help mend the broken limbs in our life. Not just for the one who falls but for those caught in the path of the fallen loved one or friend. I am also reminded that I cannot rely on yesterday's bread to survive in this world. The enemy holds a sharpened chain saw looking for dead wood to cut down to size.  Today, my challenge is to make sure I am not a dead tree standing, in the midst of a full forest. I want an overflow of green life and fruit hanging from my tree, as a result of my pursuit of the Father.  "He is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."Ps1:3 If you are one of those like me still mending your broken limbs from choices you or a loved one made, I know its tough but keep going! Stay the course, change is possible if we keep seeking the Father.  Thank You Lord for second chances and a way to heal from broken limbs. Rodney Holmstrom

Comments

  1. Daphne TarangoSeptember 28, 2012 at 7:42 AM

    Thank you for sharing.

    We've been trying to teach this to our children--that their decisions can impact others. Of course, they're just 4, 7, and 8 (all recently adopted), but if we start early, we hope to instill in them this truth. I like the tree-falling concept and may just use that to teach them.

    Their lives have already been impacted by others' poor choices, but thanks be to God that He can turn negative situations into life-transforming good.

    I've seen it in my life and in the lives of countless others. It's hard to see the consequences when we're at a decision point, but it's that stepping back and thinking things through. My pastor encourages people to ask themselves when faced with temptation, "How will this decision affect me and my family?" Also, he says to think about what you would have to say in an apology letter to your loved ones. Very thought-provoking, for sure.

    Blessings to everyone.

    Daphne
    Comfort for the Journey
    http://blog.daphnewrites.com/blog

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