There Is Always Hope
by Jennifer Mahone
Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash
Job 14:7-9
“At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.
Life has its ups and downs and for most of us, its the downs we remember the most. Why is it that the negative things in life seem to outweigh the positives? Is life really that miserable or could it be that we just make it out to seem that way? Can we agree that its easier to dwell on the hardships than to rejoice in the blessings? If you ever thought that your life just hit the worst of times, take a moment to look into the life of Job. Just one chapter would be enough for me to realize that the things I go through is nothing compared to the testing and trials he had to endure.
Job was distraught, discouraged and torn down and in his moment of “taking his case to God” and sharing with friends about his struggles, he found himself having to defend his words and even his own personal relationship with God. He was questioned about his own ability to see and feel God for himself. He was crying out and verbalizing his pain. At times it may have even sounded a bit whiny. So many questions about why he had to go through such turmoil. He knew where he stood with God but yet he still questioned why. Don’t we all? But as I said in an earlier post, the things we go through, we may not understand at the time, but they are making us stronger. Our faith and endurance is being built up.
In the middle of Job chapter 14 he speaks of a tree:
There is always hope for a tree. You can chop it down but it still has a chance to live again. Its roots can put out fresh sprouts. Even if the sprouts are old and gnarled and the stump lay dormant. At the first whiff of water it comes to life. And it puts forth shoots like a plant. Each day our spirits are chopped down. People pass us by and then return with an axe. They swing, question, discourage, tear down verbally, judge and look down upon you and I. But when we enter into the presence of God, at the first whiff of water (the Holy Spirit), our spirit comes back to life. We are restored. We begin to put forth shoots of hope and strength; perseverance and determination. We begin to grow again into an upright position. Our strength is renewed. We can not be detoured from the path God has for us. Even Job had hope for a life of restoration. The things taken from him would someday be restored even greater than what was lost.
You see, with the tree, what appeared to be dead was not dead at all but just in need of restoration. When we think about our purpose in life and what God has created us to be and accomplish, we know there are great things to be done but it is the enemies tactics to sway or detour us from that path by telling us me will never complete the task, we are not worthy of our calling, and we are nothing in this life. The lies of the enemy is what strips away our ability to fulfill our purpose, but only if we choose to believe such lies. Trees are amazing creations. So many types, each with their own purpose, just like you and I. An orange tree can not and will not yield apples, so why is it that when we know we have a specific purpose, we allow others to tell us differently from what God has already revealed to us. We must walk into who God created us to be and not what man wants us to be. Our purpose in life is so much greater than the opinions of man.
“There is always hope for a tree…”, so when someone attempts to cut you down, run to the living water, be restored, and walk upright with your head held high and fulfill your God-given purpose.
Be Blessed!
Jennifer
