2008-01-04 - Spinning Trees

During the Christmas season, it's always an interesting experience to bring a live, 10-foot tree into our dog's Living Room! He likes to investigate it, sniff if, rub up against it etc. (He's very house-trained, so that isn't an issue.) We always remain alert when he's near it, ready to grab the tree and prevent it from falling. This past week, all of a sudden, he ran up to it, and somehow spun it halfway around in a heartbeat - and spun our hearts, too! You've never seen two adults leap up so quickly! But after we recovered from the shock, was quite interesting to look at the tree after it was spun. We had a brand-new perspective! We saw ornaments that we hadn't viewed since hanging them on the tree; the tree looked very different from that angle.The incident brought new beauty as well. For example, a light string fell at such an angle that it illuminated the eye of a favorite rooster ornament.

The thought has occurred to me, that life can sometimes be like that, as well. Suddenly our lives are spun around by the loss of a loved one, a terminal illness, a devastating accident or some other traumatizing incident. For awhile, we may be able to see only the painful aspects. But eventually, we will see the good that God has brought out of it, a la Romans 8:28. Closer relationships, sensitivity to others' pain, or a better sense of priorities would be a few examples.

If your tree of life is being spun around, I hope that you will ask God to help you deal with it, and also to give you a new perspective, if it's needed.

Jan

cfdevjan@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org