Dear loving people,
I
come from a hilly but beautiful village - Bafut in the Northwest Region of
Cameroon. One characteristic of Bafut apart from its often stormy rains is that
it has more palm trees than any other part of the Northwest Region and so I grew
up learning much from palm trees.
Did
you know that Palm trees actually benefit from storms? As a result of being
beaten down by tempests, torrential rain, or other types of storms all year
round, their trunks grow stronger and they grow taller and more beautiful. Realizing
this, I was able to establish the link between the stormy rains in my village
and the abundance of beautiful soaring palm trees growing there.
As
individuals, we may not like storms, but we must learn to embrace them! One of
the primary ways God develops our character and purifies our motives is through
pain. Not only that, but consider this fact about Palm trees. If the root
system and trunk didn’t face storms, it wouldn’t be able to stay standing as it
grew taller. Rather always wanting that quick promotion especially when you
have not worked hard for it, we ought to pray “God, please don’t promote me to
where your grace can’t keep me!” Don’t get ahead of yourself and get a
promotion that you can’t handle and that causes God’s reputation to be
tarnished by a fall. When you work hard for such a promotion, you learn with
humility how to better manage the outcome.
Palm
trees are able to produce fruit in different seasons and weather conditions. In
like manner, we must be fruitful even when we face storms. Sometimes, we will
be called upon to help others even while we’re going through untold storms! God
sustains and strengthens us in these times, and even provides us with His
comfort as we comfort others. With such amazing characteristics about Palm
trees, it’s no wonder that Palm branches were used to symbolize victory in the
Bible! For example, when an army would return home from a battle, Palm branches
would be waived to celebrate the victory.
But
a far greater symbolic waiving of palm branches occurred when Jesus made his
triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Palm branches ought to remind us that as long
as we have Christ, we already have the victory! Paul reminds us in Romans
8:37b: “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
It
is impossible to graft a palm tree into another palm tree. It will die. This is
a unique characteristic for those who want to make a difference in the world as
well. "No man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). You are
either working for success or for failure, there is no middle ground.
The
next time you see a Palm tree, learn to appreciate the season you are in, even
if it’s a stormy one! God is using that storm for your good and the benefit of
others, all for His glory! Remain encouraged.
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