Hello Tuesday!

18 Days Left on the Maker's Diet

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.."

(Psalm 92:12)

I always wondered why God would refer to the righteous in this manner. Why not a lion? Or a dove? Or something else..why a tree?

When I lived in Guam (for a short time) palm trees were everywhere. As a matter of a fact, the photo that you see actually looks just like Guam. It is breathtaking! But the palm trees..why..why did He pick that tree?

I was in Guam for three typhoons. One was a Category Four, Typhoon Omar, with winds of 230mph+. It was awful. I heard noises so bad that----'til this day---I have a hard time going through a car wash when that last windy part hits!! I am alot better than I used to be, but it was traumatic. A year later, an 8.1 earthquake hit the island..and I would rather go through 4 typhoons than half of an earthquake. Terror..nothing but sheer terror. There is nowhere to run!

But despite all of this, the palm trees were still standing when all quieted down. I remember riding around the island saying to myself, "Wow, the palms survived." There they were, swaying, chillin' in the afternoon sun. I could almost hear them say, "Hey girl, we are still here...cuz we do down deep into the ground..and no shaking, no winds, nothing will bring us down. So enjoy our shade and be at peace." Wow.

Our roots go down deep just like this awesome tree. Terrible things are taking place everyday...wars, rumors of wars, deaths, sicknesses, financial disasters..but what do people see when they look at us? Do they see that we are still standing despite the elements of our surroundings? Do we show our tenacity to endure the violent winds of life right now?

Let us be someone's shade today. There are lost souls looking to be comforted by the peace of our Lord, residing deep within us. Don't rob anyone of this anectdote to life's hurts. We are rooted in Him. And our roots go down deep, eternally deep. Be blessed today.

XtremeFaith