Tuesday...May 23, 2017

Hello everyone! Welcome today, to Moments Spent with God! I pray that your day is off to a great start and that you will truly experience the presence of God, as you walk throughout your day!
 
Today, as I was sitting near the window in my office, I was looking out to a tree in our backyard that had gone through some severe wind damage a few years back. In fact, we didn’t know if it would affect the growth of the tree and I even remember thinking…maybe the tree might not make it because of all the damage that had been done. But then last year, we began to notice that the tree was actually starting to look like it was doing better; then the other trees in the yard…and even now as I look at it this spring, I see where new growth has filled in the area, where the tree once showed severe damage.
 
You know…we too can feel damaged by the effects of the storms we walk through in this life. We can feel beaten…battered and torn within…wondering if we will ever survive the damage that has hit us head on, through these storms; but then a time comes, when we begin to see where new growth has now filled in the empty voids that were left behind from the storm.
 
With all the surgeries…pain and heartache I’ve walked through, I have to admit that there were many times, when I wondered if life would ever feel normal for me. It seemed like the scars that were left behind, on my body and within my heart, only kept reminding me of all that I had been through…that is, until God began to point out the new growth that was now beginning to be evident, from all those painful moments in my life.
 
You know…sometimes it’s not always easy to understand why God allows these painful moments to enter our lives. It seems like we expect God to keep us distant from these difficult moments, as Christians; but one thing I’ve learned and I’m continually being reminded of; is that sometimes the garden of our hearts needs to be tilled a little, while allowing God to prune us back; so new growth can take place.
 
When we go out into our yards and gardens…to prune rose bushes and trees, we would think that this process of pruning would kill the tree or bush; but then later, we see where a healthier form of growth has now improved them and even made them more productive. In a similar way…these times of being pruned spiritually, can seem like an endless process of pain and heartache and sometimes these moments can make us wonder if we will ever survive, what God is allowing within our lives; but then later…with time, we begin to see how these moments that once brought pain, are now being used in a productive way for God.
 
No matter what you may be facing today…and no matter how painful these moments in your life may seem…hold on; because a time will soon come, when the painful moments you’re going through will heal and new sprouts of growth will begin to come forth and produce something great within your life.
Blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
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