There’s a tree located on the nature-strip next door to my house. It’s in a row of three. This tree was growing up next to its siblings happily for a few years and then some really big winds came through and blew the tree over. Its stump and roots remained whilst the dead trunk and limbs were removed.
Over time, new shoots sprouted from its stump and it began to grow again.
A few years later, someone lost control of their car and drove over that tree and again, its trunk and limbs were torn away and all that remained was the stump and roots.
And again, after a short while, new shoots sprouted from its stump and it just kept on growing.
Seeing that tree every day reminds me of the spirit within each and every living thing on this planet – including us – to grow into our full potentiality despite the events that knock us down.
Big winds come blasting through our lives – illnesses, heartbreaks, loss – and at times we can feel that there’s nothing left of us and we can barely keep going.
But we do.
Regardless of what impacts us and regardless of what condition we find ourselves in, Life is inside of us. And Life – or you can call it God, Spirit, Source, or whatever term you use to identify that force that keeps breathing you – is determined to continue to keep us growing, even when we’ve been knocked to the ground.
Life will work with you where you are right now. Even if all you can see are some roots and a stump, Life will push through and new shoots will begin to sprout again. And over time, just like that tree, Life will grow and expand you into all you can be.
