How to Get Back on Your Feet After a Storm?
by Olga Hermans
Have you ever watched the progress of a furious storm on the news, and noticed how trees respond to the assault of the relentless high winds? You may see an uprooted tree flying by while the newscaster describes the devastation of the storm. Or you may see a tropical tree bent to the ground as rain pummels the reporter who is struggling to stand upright.
People, when faced with the fast and furious storms of life, are similar to trees: some are strong and stable, withstanding the ongoing gales, but some come crashing down in heavy winds.
There is a particular tree that is found in areas that experience a lot of tropical storms: the palm tree. Its trunk is not as massive as, say an oak tree, but it seems to fare so much better than most other trees in those powerful storms. The resiliency and strength of the palm tree has amazed me when I have noticed them in a documentary or a TV show like Survivor. They seem to withstand the most violent of storms. Would you like to know why?
You guessed it! God designed them to bend, but not break in those heavy windstorms. Palm tree can bend all the way over until their tops touch the ground, yet still not break. They can remain bent for 4-5 hours without snapping in two, because they are very resilient. They bounce right back. Researchers say that when the palm tree is bent to the ground, its root system is actually strengthened by the stress, giving new opportunities for growth.
We too should bend with hard times and then grow. Psalm 92:12 says: “Righteous people flourish like palm trees.” That is what God says will happen to you and me, if we just stay in faith.
You and I were designed to bend and not break. God promises to give you ‘…strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy’ (Colossians 1:11). The unfolding of God’s amazing plan for your life will happen as you show your ability to endure. Do you believe that?
You may be facing a divorce that you don’t want, or the death of a loved one, or you may have received a bad report about your health. The storms come rolling in and it looks as if your dreams are being swept away with them. But you are like a palm tree, and once the storm has passed, you will arise. You will get back on your feet and keep growing. Certainly, there will be times that it would appear to be ‘over’ for you. You’re done.
But you are not average. You are not an ordinary person. Life may have given you a tough blow. But the good news is that God has put that bounce back in your spirit to get you back on your feet again in no time.
Don’t be tempted to give up on your dreams. Hold on to them. Dig deep into your spirit, and know that you are more than a conqueror. You were created to rise above your problems.
No weapon formed against you will prosper. Proverbs 24:16 says that even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up.
It is in the tough times of life that we find out what we are really made of. The storms in life are intended to test your quality, to test your character and to test your faith. All through life you will face various storms, and, of course, they are not enjoyable, but God uses storms to strengthen you, to cleanse and purify you.
He is trying to shape you into the person He wants you to be. Those winds, that storm, that trouble, that sickness will not last forever. When the ill winds are blowing, and they will, know that this too shall pass.
I remember the time I had to face severe rejection from people who meant a lot to me. Before my salvation, I was involved in a self-help group. I liked the people and was enjoying what I was learning.
At one meeting, the group leader guided us in visualization. (For those of you who are not familiar with how this works, the leader provides the general details of the visualization, such as place, time, and weather. Each group member imagines or visualizes the particulars of the experience such people, relationships, or emotions.)
The group was climbing a mountain. I was one of the last ones in the group and I kept looking at them, wondering why they never looked back at me to see that I was so far behind.
As I kept climbing, I saw that the whole group had gone to the left. They were sitting in a circle, not aware that I was missing. I continued to the top of the summit where a very old man with a beard was waiting for me. The mountain top was a cliff , and as I looked, I saw a little river of blood streaming below. Then I looked up again, and saw a man in a white dress, waving at me to come over to the other side. There wasn’t a bridge or anything, but I did notice, a hair-thin line connecting where I stood to the other side. I knew I couldn’t make it that day, and looked at the old man and asked him, “What I should do?” He replied, “At the right time, you will know what to do.”
I recounted my visualization experience to my group, and from that moment on they totally rejected me! I was mystified. It was very, very painful. At a later meeting, we were sitting in our customary circle and I asked each and every one of them “Do you want me to stay in the group?” I asked 15 people and 15 people told me that they preferred that I leave.
I wept and wept that evening. Totally broken, I couldn’t even stand upright from the emotional pain I was experiencing. I was devastated and in the middle of a storm. In that moment, I was bent to the ground. But God was strengthening my “root system”, preparing me for new growth. I will never forget that day. Later, that new growth came in the gift of my salvation and discovering the meaning of the stream of blood and the identity of the man (Jesus) on the other side.
King David said the following about people who trust in God, ‘They are strong, like a tree planted by a river…” (Psalm 1:3 NCV). God’s plan for you is to go deep, stay connected to Him, and never be uprooted, or blown away. If you’re facing attack, or a storm, don’t ask, ‘Why me?’ Instead remember, “God has made me like a palm tree” and you will ALWAYS be able to bounce back and get back on your feet.
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