When it seems all the beauty is falling down.


Rain moving in, so late yesterday I captured a neighbor’s stunning ornamental cherry tree, because I knew, the forecast deluge would shear the blooms from the tree.



 
Sure enough in a steady downpour this morning, the ground grows pink from a blanket of petals.

So, I’m talking to my daughter about a fender-bender she was involved in yesterday--the verdict  on the ticket amount yet to be determined as well as other fallout like insurance rates.

“So much money gone.” She splits her time between school and a part time job and laments the hard earned money draining away.

Petals falling down.

 A quote from this incomparable writer comes to mind again, “Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God? That which seems evil only seems so because of perspective, the way the eyes see the shadows. Above the clouds, light never stops shining.”

Can it be?

As we look across life at all the petals falling down—the dreams derailed, lives seemingly cut short, relationships shattered, sicknesses borne, and financial reversals, we study hard the words in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

All things?

All things.
 
No one was injured in the accident yesterday, and that is worth an infinite number of ticket amounts. In fact, the cars were barely damaged. Another praise going up.

What we often don’t know is how God works behind the scenes in this situation and others, and we may never know in this life. As we continually offer our prayers, we trust that what God has allowed, God intends to use.

If my neighbor’s tree were a fruit bearing cherry tree rather than an ornamental one, next we'd see tiny cherries forming. Fruit follows falling petals. So for us, if we cling to God in a deluge, we’ll find fruit follows.

The rain pelts the roof right now, but as one beauty fades, it gives way to another of green leaves and lush grass made full by the mulch of all the petals fallen down.