Uphill to Beauty

Ok – so I have a confession. I’m not a particularly patient person. Oh, I can be patient when it comes to dealing with people, but in situations…not so much. Like…

• Traffic.
• Lines at the grocery store.
• Waiting virtually anywhere.

None of these are my favorite things to do. As I wrestle with this today, I am trying to do a mind adjustment, so I thought I’d share.

There is a condition in our society that says we deserve instant gratification.

• Instant potatoes (yuck)
• Microwaves
• 2 Hour Shopping Delivery

Then, we pause and look at how God works. I’ll use a tree as an example. Year after year it goes through its cycles, building up rings. People who know these things can tell an awful lot about what the weather was like, and the health of the tree during specific years based on those rings. Sometimes the harshness of the environment actually brings about something amazing.

A few  centuries ago there was a mini-ice age in Europe. This resulted in a time of tremendous difficulty for people, animals and plants alike. The weather permitted almost no growth of crops. In short, it was a dreadful time in history. However, there was a silver lining.

Later, a violin maker by the name of Stradivarius came along. He discovered the resonance of certain wood and made some of the most treasured violins of all time. Years later science caught up with Stradivarius. The very bitter, miserable seasons of endless winter caused compression in the rings of the trees which increased the tonality and made some of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How are your “rings” doing? Do you feel like life as we know it right now is challenging? Difficult? Trying? Or worse?

Stay the course. Hang out with those who will encourage you. Think about things that bring you joy and make you strong.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 KJV

We can do this!

– RG