Out of His Wounds

Years ago, a tree in my yard burst forth through the surrounding thorns from several bougainvillea bushes. Years later it grew into a tree that brought shade to nearly the whole yard, but its bark still bore the scars of its original battles. Despite all the obstacles, it eventually grew far beyond the thorns and remained standing alone once we’d removed the bougainvilleas.

The tree was an unexpected gift and I treasured it.

During hurricane Milton last year, it was twisted in half and broken. We were fortunate to have little damage from the storm, but seeing this tree when we came home made my heart sink. It felt unfair, having watched it overcome so much to stand so tall and beautiful only to be completely severed in half in a storm while so much around it remained seemingly untouched. (I know many had much larger things lost that brought this same feeling).

I’d often looked at that tree and seen pieces of myself and my story and all the ways God has redeemed me and healed me though I still bear the scars. Seeing it broken in half was no different.

Some part of me, I think some part of all of us, broke in half at some point. Totally torn in half by the grief and pain of living. Seeing this tree torn, it was like a big gaping wound, its trunk all bare and exposed. I saw some part of me that’s still been deeply broken, or perhaps was still just about to break from loss.

I wondered if that was it. Would it just whither and die now? Here for a moment unexpectedly and gone just as quickly. It all seemed rather hopeless.

But come spring, the half of the tree that remained, started to sprout new growth until one day I looked up and right out of the severed part were new branches, new life.

I heard God whisper to my heart, “the place it was wounded is sprouting new life.”

And I saw myself again; could perhaps these wounded places by His grace be the very place the new life grows out of?

I know it is, that’s just the kind of Redeemer He is.

The place you were wounded, given to Him and transformed out of His wounds, is and will bring forth new life. Just wait.

“Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:4-5