Trees and rainbows!!

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water…a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.” Jeremiah 17: 7-8

 I want to be a tree!

Many years ago, Pete and I decided when each grandchild reached the age of 15, we would take that grandchild on a special trip with us. It has been one of the highlights of our time with our grandchildren! Our fourth grandchild, Noah, turned 15 this year so he and I headed out west last month to do some traveling and exploring together. We missed his Papa greatly but delighted in sharing some of the fantastic sights in Arizona and New Mexico and in spending time together! As we drove through miles and miles of dry, flat and brown sandy land, we both agreed that we missed seeing the green trees and grass of good ole South Carolina!

I have been thinking about that since we returned…even as I mourned the anniversary of Pete’s death and the going home of my Mom. They sought to be trees with strong roots…and the fruit they produced was good.

I was having a conversation with the Lord about this and told Him I really wanted to be a healthy tree! I didn’t just want Him to help me water my roots, I wanted Him to saturate them with His water! I desire to be so full of Him that He just overflows out of “my tree”! I know that comes from seeking Him through His Word, through conversation with Him, through listening to Him, through taking those daily steps of faith, through challenges from Him, through wise counsel and instruction from others who seek Him...I need to seek strength daily.

  
 We have had a lot of rain here these last few days. I was walking with my Dad a couple of days after my Mom went home to Heaven. He is exactly where I was this time last year…barely putting one foot in front of the other, wondering how in the world he is going to take the next step without Mom, grieving down to the depths of his soul. As we walked, we looked up and saw an absolutely beautiful rainbow stretched from end to end in the sky above us! We stood there in awe and I said, “Daddy, that is a hug from God to you! Think about what a rainbow means…it is a sign of God’s promises, a sign of new beginnings!” I know God meant for Daddy to see His rainbow…it didn’t last long…if we had come out earlier or later, we would have missed it. I love it when He shows us His Father love…

“I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you.” Genesis 9:13

Not long after Pete died, a dear friend said to me, “Don’t just look for rainbows, seek to be the rainbow!”

I want my roots to grow deep and His light to shine like a rainbow through me to others! I have lots to do….Pete, my mom and my grandmom would all be busy doing His work if they were still here…I have lots of fruit to bear and colors to shine in their place!! Lord, use me!

Thank you, Lord, for trees, roots and rainbows! May You receive all the glory!