Staying Grounded

There is a little tree just outside my bedroom window. It's still pretty new from when we moved into this house about 7 years ago. During this time, in the dead of winter, it struggles to keep what leaves it has left. The trunk is small, but sturdy at the base and as the tree grows up toward the sky, its branches seem to be reaching out in such random and opposite directions.


Today I'm looking out my window at this tree as the cold winter wind is batting those scrawny little branches back and forth. It kind of reminds me of something from a Tim Burton movie. The wind will hit, and the whole top half of that new little tree begins to toss almost violently--frantically. I'm looking out my window at this tree and I realize we are the same.


I'm moving to New York for a semester of school and this morning all I could think of is how much needed to be done. My branches were reaching out in every direction they could, but they were just letting the wind beat them tired. God kept telling me to sit down and ask for His help, but for the first few hours I was awake, I found myself sending up short little telegram prayers instead of sitting and spending quality time with Him like He wanted.


Finally, I sat down, turned off my music, and began to also work on turning off my anxieties. I asked God what He wanted for me today and He gave me these verses:


"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength." -Isaiah 30:15b


"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!" -Isaiah 30:18


It seemed pretty clear that God wanted me to be quiet and wait on Him and as I sat alone with my eyes closed and my head lifted to Him, I waited for my directions.


After a few moments, I opened my window and sat on the floor in front of it to watch and wait for a message. Yes, I noticed the colors and the beauty of the nature just outside my house, but the first thing I noticed was the wind. I remembered a time almost ten years ago when I sat outside and asked God to show me He was there. I asked Him to make the wind blow so that I could feel Him. When I opened my eyes that day, the palm trees were being blown so hard they were nearly bent sideways. Ever since, the wind has reminded me that God is always there. I smiled as I realized that God wanted me to know He was there with me today just as He always has been.


That's when I noticed the tree.


Branches blowing, leaves hanging on for dear life, I knew it was important to watch this little tree struggle. The whole top half was being beaten back and forth as I continued to watch. Yet after a few minutes of this, I finally noticed what God wanted me to see. The small trunk of that tree moved less and less the closer it got to the base: God.


My dad has always told me to keep my "foundation" firm and this was such a wonderful example. Although the top of my tree may be beaten back and forth as I reach in all directions, the trunk of my tree is God and it keeps me sturdy. No matter how hard life beats at my branches, my trunk is rooted deep enough to keep me in the ground. So today I rest in His salvation and let the quiet be my strength.