THE MYSTERY OF GROWTH by Rick Pauw
Glenda took this photo from our garden showing a hydrangea plant with new growth shooting up from the old dead stems.
It is so remarkable how, in nature new growth can break through from hard places, or from death. Imagine that trees have grown from cracks in rock. Are we so different? I have seen how so many of you have come out of seemingly impossible hard places, and still have experienced growth and breakthroughs. We learn that we are shaped by our determination to survive and break through when facing significant challenges. I love this quote I saw on a poster: “May we grow – not to what was, but instead to what we can become.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic we both acknowledge the isolation, fear, and uncertainty that so many of us are experiencing, and at the same time, we see many signs of new growth and new discoveries within ourselves, and in others. And, what we are experiencing now will shape who we are to become.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
In what ways have you experienced or observed new growth or surprising personal discovery in the midst of hardship? Your responses can be about yourself, others, or from nature.