One of those phrases is:
"Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree."
When I think about a hurricane I think about their mighty and rushing winds, their overpowering strength and the force of destruction that they cause. But, what does that have to do with God's love?
When I think about a tree caught in a hurricane, I think about how powerless they are. Some trees withstand the force of the winds. Others do not. But still, I asked myself what this had to do with God's love.
This past Sunday, at Celebrate Recovery, we sang this song. The worship leader shared something that had been shared with him a while back that helped him understand the context of these words.
This is what a tree looks like when it has been affected by wind. It is twisted permanently, but it is not dead. Just forever changed.Isn't that what God's love is like? In Deuteronomy, it says that God lavishes His love on us. The origin of that word in Latin also is used for the word downpour. Doesn't His love downpour on us?
When His love is poured out on us, we can't help but be forever changed. Who would God be to change our hearts just to have us go back to our previously broken state.
So, embrace the tree. Embrace the wind of His love. Embrace the pain that sometimes can come with it.
And know that He does, in fact, love you like a friggin' hurricane.
that reminds me of the trees I saw in Joplin, Missouri after the tornado...and I have a pic on my Facebook of a magnolia tree that already started growing again. it was so cool!
ReplyDeletesomething else i think of when I sing that song...the trees that are forever changed and still alive after all that windy and craziness are the ones deeply rooted!
I will have to check out that pic! I looked and looked through google, but this was the best one I could come up with!
ReplyDeleteI love spiritual illustrations with trees, fruit, branches, pruning, etc. Such a picture of our spiritual walk :)