When
I lived in West Texas, I hated Mesquite trees. For one thing, I was allergic to
them. For another, I thought they were ugly!
Having
said that, James Dobson helped me appreciate one quality about them. He
compared them to a tree in the rain forest.
A
typical tree in the rain forest has an easy life. Water is always available.
Consequently, the tree does not have to grow roots very deep. Unfortunately for the tree, a mild storm can blow it over to its death.
On
the other hand, a West Texas Mesquite tree is lodged in that region’s dry and
unwelcoming land. The adversity leads the Mesquite to drive its roots at least
thirty feet down into the soil on a water finding mission. As a result, the most
terrible winds of West Texas cannot force the tree to topple. It is anchored to
the ground. Adverse conditions actually energize the tree to create a strong
survival mechanism.
Perhaps
that is one reason God allows us to face adversity. Mull over what our brother
James wrote, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at
you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced
into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything
prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not
deficient in any way (James 1:2-4 THE
MESSAGE.)
Nothing
like hard times to help us grow deeply rooted in Jesus.
Source:
James Dobson, When God Doesn’t Make
Sense
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