The second day of our camping trip dawned bright and clear. We could foresee a beautiful day of hiking in front of us, and it was with enthusiasm that we started out. The trails were well-groomed, and due to the plentiful spring rains, the greenery was lush and abundant. The birds were singing, the crickets were chirping, and if we listened carefully, we could even hear the croak of a bull frog.
As I was taking in these beautiful signs of God’s Creation, a particular tree caught my attention. A park sign had been nailed to its trunk years ago, but the tree had actually grown around the sign so much so that the sign was now embedded into the tree trunk. Interesting!
A few kilometers further, we came upon another tree. This one had a huge burl, one so large that it actually encircled the entire trunk; but the tree continued to grow out the top of it.
For those who may not be tree enthusiasts, a burl is woody growth that appears on trees where the wood grain has grown in a deformed manner. Burls can grow to great size, and in the case of the tree we saw on our hike, these burls can nourish and grow new trees. Burl actually yields a peculiar, decidedly decorated wood that is highly valued for its beauty and rarity and is sought after by furniture makers, artists and wood sculptures.
Just what causes a tree to form a burl?
I don’t know specifically what caused the burl I saw, but interestingly, burls usually results from an injury to the tree, or from a virus or fungus, with insect or mold infestation being the most common causes.*
Wait. Did you catch that? Something considered of high value, sought after by woodworkers in general, something that can actually nourish the growth of a new tree, is caused by injury or illness. The tree uses these bad circumstances to grow and produce something of beauty and usefulness for the world!
It makes you wonder: What do we, humans, do in the face of adverse conditions? What do we do when we are faced with illness, financial difficulties or relationship issues? What do we do when someone uses us as a signpost or for some other dehumanizing object? Do we fuss and complain, beg God to remove the circumstances, even going as far as to becoming angry at Him for allowing it to happen in the first place? Or do we allow God to work through our bad circumstances to produce in us something beautiful?
Think about it, my friends, and always remember:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Eccl 3:11)
With these truths in mind, we can face adversity with triumph: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Injured by life? Harassed by troubles? Used by society? Don’t give up. Instead, grow a burl!
In His love,
Lyn
*All information provided on Burls taken from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
(To access the entire “Lessons From Camping” mini-series, please click here.)