New Growth

I2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!"

When we first moved to Southern California we had to experience a few to many notorious wild fires. Not the kind of welcome you would want but it goes with the territory. I found it very funny and rather strange that the locals here referred to the wild fires as a "season." Wow, was I in for it moving here !
 I remember taking one of the first hikes just after one of the more local wildfires in our area. The trailhead started up the hill with nice bushes and plant life and yet when we turned the corner at this one point on the hike the entire hill and up towards the summit of the mountain was burnt from the fire and was chaff, grey, empty, ash filled and unwelcoming for a former Northwestern gal like myself. I thought I shouldn't make the climb for it was too 'ugly' and depressing to hike in a burnt area like this, but I proceeded anyway. As I hiked past the ashes and soot I noticed something that really caught my attention. Amidst the ugly terrain and all the signs of loss of life was new life. The further I climbed the more signs of new growth I saw! Death could not stop new branches, new flowers, new sweet and persistent tree stems sprouting their way out of the dry and destitute, hard ground. These new growth plants, trees and flowers were regrowing on their own, there were no recent rains in our area either, this was just occurring and was quite remarkable! It was evident that these plants and foliage had a rooted and firm foundation that was securely deep.
Yes, water is vital for life, for growth for vitality, but this lesson to take for this truth is that God himself may want to 'bring to life' something that is 'dead' and seems impossible on your own. Bring this to the throne of grace, to the feet of Jesus.  Also, there are seasons in life where it is more dry than other times, there are areas and days or seasons that you have no answer to a problem, and what seems impossible to man can be possible with God.

"Finding something beautiful in all circumstances you are in. This is key to joy and purpose in your daily life"


In Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 it says "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing"