I'm reaching into the archives for this post from an April several years ago. It's a reminder of how even the difficult things can be used by God for good.
Rain moving in,
so late yesterday I captured a neighbor’s stunning ornamental cherry tree,
because I knew, the forecast deluge would force 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 a family member 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 says. She splits her time between school and a part time job, and
now the money drains away.
Petals falling
down.
A quote from Ann Voskamp comes to mind,
“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.
What we know is
that 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 is working 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, what we’d
see next would be tiny cherries forming. Fruit follows the falling petals. So, it is
for us, that if we cling to God, even when it seems all the beauty is falling
down, 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 petals falling down.