My Whacked Tree

…Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 13-14 NIV

            Landscapers whacked my crepe myrtle while I was gone. For years, I carefully trimmed the trees in my yard, but in my new home a landscaping company did the work.

            Instead of graceful limbs, a few ugly stumps remained on my tree. I lamented the disfigurement and wondered why they had to trim it so severely. After the initial shock, I ignored it so I wouldn’t have to see the disfigured stumps.

            Several weeks later because of the blinding sun, I moved to a different chair on my patio to do  morning devotions. The unfamiliar view surprised me.

            Breezes ruffled leaves. From the pruned ugliness, a beautiful, full crepe myrtle emerged. The transformation happened gradually. Without pruning, colorful blooms on my crepe myrtle wouldn’t be as plentiful or beautiful.

            I also felt pruned down to ugly stumps. But from the bareness of my grief, I noticed touches of growth.  Recovery, slow with sporadic setbacks, continues. Though I don’t know what God has planned, I trust that He can make something from the whacked pieces of my life.

Dear Lord, pruning is painful but you are the Gardener who has the plan. Amen