DEVOTION BY GUEST WRITER NICKI COPELAND
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: … a time to keep and a time to throw away. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6
God often speaks to me through pictures; sometimes they’re like little film clips that land in my mind. On this particular occasion I had a picture of a tree, full of pink blossom. It was really beautiful, swaying gently in the breeze. But as I watched, a strong wind began to blow. Some of the blossom was blown off the tree, but not all of it. As the wind died down again, some of the blossom remained, and, despite the losses, the tree was just as beautiful as before.
I asked God what He wanted to say to me through this picture, and I felt it was this. The blossom represents all the elements of our lives – relationships, work, possessions, ministries, hobbies, habits and so on. As the wind blows and the tree is shaken, some of the blossom falls off. We often experience events that shake us, and perhaps some of the ‘blossom’ falls away in the process. We don’t always have control over the things in our lives that fall away; neither do we always know what is right to hold on to. But in the shaking, we can trust that God knows which of the ‘blossoms’ we need to let go of.
The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is ‘a time for everything’ – including letting go. Human beings have a tendency to accumulate. That might be an accumulation of possessions, but it might also be an accumulation of tasks, obligations, things that we ‘need’ or ‘ought’ to do. Sometimes we allow ourselves to get so busy that we lose sight of why we’re doing certain things. At times, God allows us to be gently shaken (although it might not always feel so gentle in the moment!) to remind us of what’s important.
Letting go can be painful. Habits can be deeply ingrained. Jobs and ministries can be really enjoyable. We like spending time with certain people. But sometimes God wants us to make changes in our lives. Perhaps we have a particular habit that isn’t good for us. Maybe it’s simply time to move on from a task or role – not because it’s wrong, but because God wants to make space for something else. Maybe a relationship is destructive, causing us harm, or even causing us to sin.
The shaking can be scary. It can leave us feeling insecure, unsettled. But the tree will withstand the storm because it is deeply rooted. The branches might be blown about in the wind, but the trunk stands firm because the tree is secure. Our roots are firmly planted in Jesus, and while we might feel a little wind-battered at times, that will encourage us to push them down even more deeply in Him. Some of the blossom might fall but, as long as we keep pushing into God, we can trust that He will only allow to fall away the things that need to go. And, actually, the blossom that remains, symbolising the fruit that is to come, will be all the better for the tree having let go of the other blossom.
Reflection: Is there anything in your life that God might be asking you to allow to fall away?
Prayer – Father God, thank You that when we are deeply rooted in You, we know that we are safe, no matter how strongly the wind might blow. Help us to push our roots even more deeply into Your foundation, and to be willing to let things go, according to Your will for our lives. Amen.
This reflection is taken from Nicki’s new book, And The Trees Of The Field, published by Instant Apostle. For more information go to http://www.nickicopeland.co.uk
Picture credit: Photo by Polash Senapoti on https://www.pexels.com
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