I was looking outside in anticipation for the past month only to be disappointed. We have this tree on the corner of the house that turns the brightest shade of yellow every year at fall. However, this year it went straight to brown and now is beginning to go bare. I have been told that it is because of the ice storm we had last year. They tell me the tree was damaged in the storm so it could not display its color this year, but maybe next year it will be back to its brilliant self. It is going to take time and plenty of sun for the tree to be restored. But right now all I see is brown and it doesn't seem as if it will ever be as beautiful again.
I could help but think of some friends of mine. They were the brightest, most enjoyable people I knew. They loved to laugh and to make others laugh as well. They had such enthusiasm for life. But then it happened. A storm blew into their lives and as a result their color disappeared. Laughing was the last thing on their minds. They just wanted to make to the next day. Each day was a struggle. The smallest details in life became a burden for them. It seemed hopeless and lost. As if the color is gone from their lives forever.
But after a while, I began to see a spark here and there. I'd see a smile every once in a while. Then as time passed and as they began to heal, the laughter came back. Never again the same, but there nevertheless. Now we can laugh together and cry together, and their color is brighter than ever and in a lot of ways more beautiful than before. It's amazing what God can do!
Maybe, just maybe, my tree will shine again!
