As I walk along the river each day, it offers a great deal of time for me to reflect on things. Whether it be a story, a struggle, or a situation out of my control, I usually have a lot to think about.

Sometimes, however, a thing will pop into my mind that doesn’t have anything to do with any of the above mentioned topics! I call these thoughts, God’s lessons along the way. He shows me something, and then reveals His perspective, allowing me to learn something insightful about the world in which we live.

Today, I saw two trees along my walk, one on either side of the trail, and both within sight of the other. The tree on the left side of the trail had scorch marks covering its lower half, from a fire someone started last year, trying to use the tree as a homemade firepit. The tree seems to be growing fine and thriving, regardless of the damage done to it, with bright green leaves and branches eagerly reaching toward the sun. On the right side of the trail there is another tree, but this one looked far different from the first. This one didn’t have any scorch marks, or any other visible damage for that matter, but half of this tree seemed to be dying, showing no apparent growth, on nearly half its branches. No leaves of any kind grow upon the dry, dead wood, leaving the tree to look weak and sickly. The one tree showed obvious trauma, and yet it grows strong, while the other just seems to be withering from some unseen sickness.

It occurs to me that humans seem like those trees, sometimes. If we see someone whose been traumatized by no fault of their own, but they rise above it to become stronger, we say, “Wow! They’re so strong to have overcome that, it’s just wonderful how they survived. Good for them!” Yet, when we see someone who seems to be suffering, but we don’t see the cause, we back away from them out of confusion, or fear of something we don’t fully understand.

It’s always easier to cheer for the overcomer, than to sit in the gutter with the lost, weak, and/or misunderstood souls, who are being destroyed from the inside out! I’m no better than any other person who might judge another out of ignorance or self-righteousness. None of us are above these tendencies. Being that we are all human, this means that we all suffer with similar human frailties. Everything we see is based on human understanding, not God’s!

While we will always struggle with these things, until we get home that is, it’s OK! God’s Got Us! Rather than feeling depressed about the trees or us, for that matter, I’m left feeling eternally grateful!

The One who tends both the tree on the left and the tree on the right, loves each tree equally! Who knows, maybe the only difference between the trees, was the desire to live!

Just sayin…