THE BROKEN CAN HEAL

Growing up with three brothers in a neighborhood of mostly boys, things usually got pretty physical. Being young boys we had no reservations about taunting and teasing each other; it was usually in good fun though. Every so often when we were all gathered together, usually standing around in a circle poking fun at one another, someone would get shoved into the middle of the circle. While in the middle of the circle, the other boys would push back and forth. The one in middle would try to fight their way out of the circle, but the others would just push harder. The bigger boys would typically fight their way out of the circle, while the smaller boys couldn’t make their way out. The longer someone was stuck in the circle the higher the tension would get.  Sometimes the tension would get to be too much and the boy stuck in the middle would feel like cracking and get mad. If that happened, the other boys would increase the tension and push the limits. I was usually one of the boys that would crack and get mad.  Once that happened, the fun was over and the other boys would pick me up and let me out of the circle. It took about five seconds to get over it and get back in the game. Little did we know how this exercise would teach us to endure life’s pressures

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See the new growth on this damaged tree

Recently, there were very high winds in our area for several days. The continued tension left many trees with broken and cracked branches. Trees don’t stop growing because one part is damaged; sometimes new branches come back even stronger.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.