Growth in a Hard Place

​Dear Friends,

I was walking one day, and I noticed this tree growing straight out of a rock.  I’m sure it’s roots were in the soil around the rock, but it sure was growing in what looked like a very hard place....like it picked the hardest place possible to set down roots and there it grew.

Yes, it looked like a terrible environment, but the tree was growing, it was living, I dare say it was thriving...in that really hard environment.

Now, if I was giving that seedling advice when it was just starting out, I would have told it to find a different home, to plant itself in a more welcome environment.  But as it was, that tree was living and growing, even in an environment that was less than idyllic.

So, please let me caveat, I am not advocating for anyone to stay in a harmful or toxic environment.  However, we all know there are times in life when our environment, while perhaps not harmful or toxic, is less than idyllic.  I was thinking as I walked, is there a way we can see hardships and less than ideal situations in our own lives, the kind that aren’t toxic or harmful, but might still cause us pain and discomfort...can we see and recognize those and yet still grow and thrive? Can we recognize our ability to live fully even in less than ideal situations, even when life might feel a little painful?

May we, this week, see a little more growth, a little more thriving in ourselves even when our situations are less than idyllic.  May we find opportunities for full living even in a hard place.   

Have a wonderful day dear friends, I am so deeply grateful for you.

Love
Krista
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