to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. – Isaiah 61:3 ESV
I was working in the garden at my house yesterday and noticed a tree that I had never paid attention to before. It was a catalpa tree in full bloom. (Picture at Right). In this grown up pasture that we do not tend, save for trimming out a little plot for our garden, is this large beautiful tree among all the mess and overgrown weeds. Not really noticed, but there all the time. When the time is correct, you cannot help but notice this tree- in God’s timing.
This is why we do what we do in ministry. to work among all the overgrown mess of this world and the work of the enemy. To encourage maturing students, so that when the time is right, they will bloom large and full in the face of all the adversity around them.
Don’t miss that beauty. It is God’s work.