Lessons from my mirror

Recently, our granddaughter’s high school agriculture class was studying the aging of trees. She asked Noble to bring home a cross section of a tree, or “tree cookie” from one of his land clearing projects for her class. Of course, for his granddaughter, he took the time to find several for her. She sent us a picture of her classmates enjoying the hands-on experience of counting the rings to find each tree’s age. They learned that each year a tree forms new cells, arranged in circles called annual growth rings. These rings show the amount of wood produced during one growing season. These rings can tell us how old the tree is, and what the weather was like during each year of the tree’s life. Many factors affect the way a tree grows. Drought, excessive rain, fire, insects, lack of sunlight, all leave their mark on a tree’s annual growth rings. Life can be hard for a tree and for us at times. Perhaps you’re going through a painful or lonely season right now. Recognize that it is a season, that it is where God has you right now, and that God wants to use everything in this season to keep you moving toward His purpose for your life. When you have difficult seasons, think of the trees. When the temperature begins to drop, while the tree is not showing growth and looks dead above ground, the roots are hard at work, preparing for the springtime. While its dormant, roots still seek out and soak up water and tend to extend further, creating a better, stronger base. This means that every winter, its trunk is growing thicker and stronger to support the tree when it flushes again in spring. Every time a change occurs in your life, you are embarking on a journey of new growth. Rev. Robert Schuller said, “Never cut a tree down in the wintertime.” Meaning to never make a negative decision in the low time in your life. It may just be one of your growing seasons. Just as winter gives way to spring, there are better days ahead. Be your best as you go through it, and you will get to where you want to be. Like the growth rings on a tree, everyone has a story. It could be a story of dreams, friendship, hope, survival or even death. And every story is worth telling. But more than that, it’s worth living. Step into the New Year with the intention of appreciating all the goodness around you. Make changes in your life, move forward, and keep growing.

Paula Enloe is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She has been a paralegal for over 25 years and is a certified family mediator. She and her husband, Noble, speak and minister to churches testifying of how God brought them healing into their home and their marriage, after he was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2016. They count it as their greatest privilege to share the healing and transformational power of the Name of Jesus to each person they come in contact with daily.