FAITH · REFLECTION · SEASONS

Shaving Brush Tree: Pseudobombax Ellipticum

FAITH  ·  REFLECTION  ·  SEASONS

What the naked branches of a pink-blossomed tree taught me about dry seasons, divine preparation, and becoming.

The other day, I took a friend who was visiting me to the Ringling Museum garden. As we walked, a beautiful tree caught my attention or rather, what was on it did.

The tree was completely bare, yet it was ablaze with magnificent pink flowers. At first glance, it transported me to a scene straight out of The Lorax — bright, fluffy, bold, glowing with color, like Truffula trees come to life. But what stood out most was the absence of leaves. The tree was entirely bare. And for those of you who don’t know, God has a way of speaking to me through His creation.

I looked back at that bare tree and immediately thought: How can this tree produce such beautiful flowers when everything surrounding it looks dead and dry? And it struck me — how many of us have found ourselves in dry seasons where the branches are bare, where it looks as if there is no life left, yet we are right in the middle of it?

We are the flower. And although we may feel as though nothing is being produced, as though nothing is happening, as though the world doesn’t see us — we are growing.

We tend to see that bareness as loss. But my dear friend, that season is preparation. It is learning. It is chiseling. It is the leaving behind of what no longer serves you. It is stripping. It is the gaining of wisdom. It is the process of becoming. Becoming what? You may ask. That, my friend, is entirely up to you.

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You see, this tree produces its most beautiful creation precisely when it is bare. It is bare because bareness makes it easier for pollinators to spot it from far away — there are no distractions from the leaves, no clutter.

Wow! Just you and the Lord, at times, walking through difficult seasons and being renewed without any clutter or distractions. I have been there. I felt alone. I had no one except God and yet, I was growing.

And what if you allowed your bareness to be the very expression of where you are, so that you attract others who are walking through the same season and feel utterly alone?

“Perfection intimidates, but compassion inspires because there is someone in this world who would drown in their own tears if not for seeing yours.”

— LYSA TERKEURST

The tree first has to lose all its leaves to release everything that gets in the way, everything that no longer serves it so that later it can produce large, fluffy pink flowers directly on those bare branches, flowers that stand out from meters away.

There is something about those moments of pain and bareness that will one day make you stand out. You will grow in empathy, in understanding, in compassion, in resilience, in perseverance, but only if you learn to see that your season of bareness is the preparation for your bloom.

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Here is something else worth sitting with: the tree’s most beautiful creation comes in the moments of bareness. We do not stop being beautiful, important, or valuable in our bare seasons — we are in preparation.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Later, the green leaves will begin to grow and form a lush, green canopy. But if I am honest with you, the tree looks more beautiful when it is bare and only the flowers stand out. The tree is not dead. It is not insignificant. It is not unseen. That tree, just like so many of us, is in a period of transition. It is the season in which God is doing His most beautiful work within us.

A MOMENT OF REFLECTION

• What season of your life do you find yourself in?

• Can you see the flower in the middle of the bareness?

• What are some beautiful lessons you have gleaned from your dry seasons?

  
  

I was once told by a seasoned military spouse: “Grow and bloom where you are planted.” And I will add to that — even in the bareness.

May God sustain you through whatever season you are walking through.

May He grow you and carry you as you transition into your bloom.

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With love,

Diana 

              Thriving as Designed Coaching