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Have you ever watched a pitch pine tree in a storm? We have tons of them all around here and tons just in my yard. What a mess they make with their needles! And honestly they are kind of an ugly tree, in my opinion.
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But if you’ve ever watched them in a storm… Living on the coast we get some strong winds and good storms. Those trees dance wildly in the gusts. I’ve seen them bend so far, thinking surely they would snap! But then they stand right back up. It’s actually pretty incredible to watch. Another cool fact is that they grow where other trees would find it difficult to find adequate and sustainable nutrients.
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Sometimes I feel like those pitch pines. The storms have come in my life, bending, shaking and blowing me, trying so hard to break me. But God has built me stronger. More durable. Just like He created those trees; growing in harsh environments with flexibility to bend and sway with the wind. He’s teaching me to do the same. With each storm that comes, my roots grow deeper in Him. I adapt to the surroundings and let the wind blow which ever way it wants to. Because I know, that it is Him who can quiet the wind at any moment.
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The deeper my roots, the more I give over complete control to him and surrender to the gusts, The more He builds up strength in me for the next storm. With each storm that passes those trees become more resilient, able to withstand great winds. The same goes for us, friends. No matter what the environment, no matter which storm has come to try and blow you over, He will sustain us through it, and not just sustain us, He will strengthen us because of it.
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“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10