Shalom precious daughters of the King! I hope this post finds you all well! It's been a long, long, loooonngg time since there has been anything happening on this blog. In fact, I actually forgot it existed sometime in November 2022, and then only remembered that it was here a few weeks ago. I only remembered it after my sweet sister mentioned that it has been a long time since I did anything on the blog and that she had some ideas for it. What blog was she talking about?
Oh, right. This one!
I even forgot all my plans for celebrating this blog's 1'st birthday in December, and about all the wonderful things we could have done for Chanukah and Tu'Bishvat... happy very late Chanukah sameach and Tu'Bishvat sameach! It's the year after the Shmitah year in Israel, and so we can plant trees again this year. Praise the Lord!
It truly is a time for new life and new growth. To me, it's very interesting how Tu'Bishvat, the 'birthday' of the trees in Israel, is right in the middle of winter. Trees normally shed their leaves in winter and look quite the opposite of alive or flourishing, and they certainly don't look like anything worth celebrating. Maybe in spring it would make more sense, since then all the trees are budding, blossoming, and growing beautifully.
But life isn't always as fresh and beautiful as spring, and it is not always as wet and dreary as winter. God has seasons for all of us, and sometimes it feels like spring, and at other times, it feels like winter in our own personal lives. I know this to be VERY true in my own life. I can honestly say that the ''winter'' seasons in my life seem to come more often than I like, and then it feels as if spring will never come.
In all honesty, to me it feels silly planting a tree in winter when it doesn't even look alive. Besides, it's winter, folks - things don't grow in winter. Why bother planting something good when it's probably not going to grow anyway? I feel the same about my own personal winters. Everything is dreary and murky, and with all my issues the little bit of good I plant will only die.
Perhaps we can find some encouragement by looking at the trees being planted in winter.
At first glance, it doesn't really look like there's anything there at all. The trees all look like little sticks. They look quite - ahem - dead. There really isn't much more than stick. No buds, no leaves, no nothing that gives me the impression that anything's growing.
But sometimes we can't see outward growth. Sometimes, in our own winter seasons, the only growth is happening where we can't see it, and that growth is happening in our hearts where no one can see. Just because no one, including us, can't see the growth with our eyes, doesn't mean that we're dead and dying.
In fact, we're very much alive and growing in ways that changes us for the better. When trees get planted in winter, they have a hard time growing. But, they aren't burdened with leaves and things like that to keep alive. All the rain gives them all the water they need to be strengthened in their roots and trunks, and to stock up for when spring arrives and they can start budding and blossoming with all the water and energy they need. The strong wind helps them grow stronger trunks to withstand the harshest conditions.
And, most importantly of all, this season of letting go of everything, is helping them to grow their roots deeper into the soil. They anchor themselves in the soil and grow strong in the area of their lives where it matters most.
If they don't take this time, harnessing the wind and rain in order to grow their roots deeper, they won't do well at all when spring comes around.
If they put in the effort to grow deeper and anchor themselves deeper into the soil, connect to the water they will find when they dig deep enough, and strengthen their core, they will be enabled to burst forth into full bloom by the time spring comes! Because of their perseverance and use of the rain and wind from the storms during the darkness of winter, they will now be able to fully invest all their energy into sprouting leaves and growing fruit. The wind and rain were gifts from God to help them grow stronger and soften their hearts to grow deeper into the living water underneath the surface.
Let's be encouraged when we look at these trees as they grow. Let's take this season, this designated season, in our lives to grow deeper in our relationship with God, and to press in with prayer and thanksgiving. Let's dig deep and anchor ourselves more fully in the Living Water and in in His Spirit. Let's just focus on growing our roots deeper into His Word which gives us life even when the storm feels to strong for us. Whenever the storm feels overpowering, do not despair - instead, know that He is always good, and is sending you this strong storm in order to grow your roots deeper still.
And when spring comes, you'll be fully ready and equipped with His love, anchored in His Word and the Living Water that never runs dry and be able to bloom and produce fruit to your full potential.
But it still feels like I'm forgetting something though.
Oh, that's right!
And I know it's kinda late again, but I'll say it anyway.....
Chag Purim Sameach! I hope you all had a wonderful, joy-filled Purim! Praise the Lord for encouraging us through Esther's life! I'll try and write something about Esther sometime soon, but you never know whether or not it's actually going to happen, so...
Anyway, be blessed!
We celebrate in winter because that's when we truly come alive.
Maybe planting trees in winter isn't such a silly thing after all.
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