I have been waiting for the right time to blog about the Angel Oak Tree I saw in Charleston, S.C. last week. As a deep thinker, I knew there were some hidden insights to discover so I’ve waited until the Holy Spirit moved in my heart and brought something to light.
Life is such a tremendous combination of things.Yet if you will be still before the Lord , He will bring revelation and peace. As I waited for a hidden “gem” connected to this tree, I kept wondering what to write about. I looked at the pictures of the Angel Oak Tree my friends took and shared with me. It is so incredibly BIG and is said to be between 300-400 years old.
Can you even imagine all the things the tree has lived through? Think about it! It was around during the American Revolutionary War. Perhaps it was a part of the action of the Siege of Charleston that occurred during 1780! What about weather: tropical cyclones, high winds, flooding, hurricanes? Alright, I might be carried away here but I’m thinking on the implications of what the Angel Oak Tee has endured, it’s pretty astounding. I did a Google search on hurricanes that have hit the area and the earliest one on record is in the late 1800’s. Here is a short list of hurricanes of category 3 or higher: 1893 Great Charleston Hurricane, Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Hurricane Gracie in 1959 and Hurricane Hugo in1989. Sea Islands Hurricane that made landfall in Georgia in 1893 also had a major impact on the South Carolina coast.
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/hurricanes/pdfs/SCHurricanesExecutiveSummary.pdf
Scroll back up and take a good look at the magnificent Angel Oak Tree that has endured much. Zoom in on the branches, how they grow up and out, then downward, with some branches touching the ground, then rise upward again with healthy green leaves at the canopy. The canopy gives a shading of 17,000 square feet. One of the signs near one of the tree limbs said some of the limbs are hollow. Yet they are still alive with green leaves. All this just blows my mind. It’s hard to wrap my mind around how incredible God’s creation is.
This morning as I had my quiet time, I read a devotion on our church app. The devotion was about how we can’t quit. The enemy has a plan of attack to drain us and make us weary and ineffective. We get tried and drained by life and it’s imperative to know the enemies tactics. (That could be a whole different blog right there. Maybe later if the Lord leads me to come back to that topic). But God! Don’t quit. Jesus will give us His peace when it seems we have lost our joy. When complaints seem to swirl around us and we get tired of the fight. Hold on to Jesus! John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”” (NKJV)
Let’s face it, life is not an easy ride. I really don’t understand why some people have to deal with so much. I will give you an example of my own life. While I don’t complain, it IS draining to deal with hearing and vision issues. It is what it is! I attempt daily to find a positive spin on whatever, you know the “silver liner” , but I fall so short. It’s kind of like one of those big tree branches being knocked so often that it begins to grow down to the ground. It’s like, “Lord how much longer?”, and you “hit the ground”. Somehow you begin to grow upward again…. Yes… rising up for the next challenge. If the tree is any indication, we will endure many ups and downs, but we continue to GROW for the GLORY OF GOD! We continue to bear fruit (or leaves) Our purpose is to serve God in whatever situations He places us. (Some are uncomfortable but just push through it. ) Jesus is always there, leading us forth in triumph.
We are all growing and learning. None of us have reached perfection and honestly we won’t until we complete our journey. We can’t expect everyone to handle things the way we do. People are all types of varieties with all types of personalities and approaches. I will say that it can be tiring dealing with my own issues, then to come home and deal with someone else’s. That was the case last night. After RiceNBeans ministry time, I came home tired and just wanted to go to bed. (When there is a lapse in comprehending speech and just trying to get things done and be a blessing, I end up pretty tired trying to rise above it.) My husband Ron was again talking about his lost prescription glasses. He lost them two days ago. We looked everywhere and could not find them. So once again he was talking about that and I’m like “We have looked everywhere! They have to be in the house .” I went to the bedroom and was going to get in bed, in comes our son and Ron talking about washing clothes. It was nearly 10 at night. Couldn’t this wait? Apparently not. (You can insert a dramatic eye-roll) Evidently there was a stain on a new pair of expensive pants and it had to be removed right then. Okay! I wanted to go to bed as I was drained, but I turned around and headed to the laundry room. I told the guys what to do and specifically said not to put them in the dryer in case the stain did not come out. Saying “good night”, I went to sleep. This morning I woke up refreshed and had my quiet time. Next thing I knew, Ron was right there talking about his misplaced glasses. I get it! He needs them to see clearly although they aren’t that strong. I offered up a silent “God please!” Prayer. Ron left to take Joshua to Massage Thrapy School and I figured I’d use the time to dust the house really well. As I dusted, I prayed. As I prayed, suddenly God answered! I moved a picture frame on Ron’s bedside table and there were his missing glasses that had been pushed behind it. This was so encouraging. Life happens in all different scenarios. Just breathe deeply, dig in your heels and get it done. I think I willl bring this to a close. I did want to talk about the tree roots (that were not visible but I can just imagine) Maybe that will be my next blog. We’ll see.
It’s my prayer that you have received encouragement or perhaps even been challenged through this blog. I find it so refreshing when people can be real and transparent. We can all learn from each other. Life lessons are amazing teachers. I’m thankful for all The Lord is teaching me. Please check out my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon (hard cover, soft cover and ebook formats) I pray it’s a blessing to you and encouragement to never give up in hard situations. Be blessed and better yet, be a blessing.
Www.shannonkhinson.com
rootedbythewater.blog 