Prepared to Shelter | A Poem

     Today I have another poem to share with you!! It’s one I wrote this year. I hope you will enjoy the storyline of the poem and also find the lesson an encouragement to your heart today. First read these verses that say it far better than I ever could!

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A gusty autumn breeze

Fanned through the browning field

Where hopped a busy squirred

Bearing a nut concealed.

The squirrel scampered, then stopped,

Beginning a small hole.

It placed within the nut:

Covered it with soil.

The fierce winter winds howled,

Snow blanketed the field.

But squirrel had gone away

And never reappeared.

Spring blew, gentle and warm

With sun and sky deep blue.

Squirrel and nut were long gone;

In their place, a tree grew.

Sprout became a sapling

As passed the fleeting years,

Growing leaves and branches

When each spring did appear.

The tree stood in the field

‘Mid lightning flash and rain,

When rivulets ran round

And longed for dry in vain.

Sometimes the leaves shivered,

And the branches bowed low;

Tree swayed from side to side,

Seeking a place to go.

But alas, there was none—

No shelter from the storm.

Rain ran down tree like tears:

Soaked its bark-laden form.

Winds howled through the branches,

Shrieking out tree’s question.

“Why must life be so hard?”

Burst forth in frustration.

So passed one more decade;

Another followed suit—

Days with sun but others,

Dreary, rainy dispute.

Tree still shook when dampened

And longed for sunny days,

Never quite adjusting

To season’s changing ways.

But each year tree grew out

Another ring of depth,

Helping tree to become

Giant in height and breadth.

Beneath the field’s soil,

Tree’s roots grew deep and strong,

Watered by rainy tears

Tree cried and passed along.

The change happened slowly,

Some beneath the surface.

Tree scarce saw the contrast

So slowly taking place.

Tree grew a hollow place

Discovered by a squirrel,

Who made herself a nest

With little squirrels to lull.

Tree’s limbs whispered softly,

Singing sweet lullabies.

The branches swayed and dipped

To rock the squirrel babies.

Then one day came a storm

Bigger than tree had seen.

Winds raged and whipped and tore,

Leaving a sad scene.

Mud splattered everything;

Trees and branches lay down.

Debris littered the field—

Grass swept flat to the ground.

Animals crept around,

Surveying the sad ruin:

Their home of yesterday

No longer a haven.

But deep inside tree’s hole,

Baby squirrels snuggled close—

Dry and safe from the blast,

Unharmed by stormy foes.

A breeze sighed in relief—

Tree’s damp leaves swayed gently;

Relieved gratitude stirred.

“The storm could not shake me.”

All the years of showers

Had grown tree straight and true,

Prepared for the moment

The storm he would pass through.

His longing sighs and tears

And struggle to grow strong,

Made him a shelter

Where others could belong.

He had fought those battles—

Paved paths for another.

His tears, not in vain had

Made refuge for others.

In joyful thankfulness

Tree’s branches lifted high:

Waving triumphantly

Up toward the rain-washed sky.

As I was editing this post, this song came on. It fits so perfectly that I decided to share it with you!

Simple Takeaway

1. Your trials have a purpose!
2. They prepare you for God’s plan for your life.
3. They give you a testimony and opportunities to point others to the God of all comfort.

Let’s Chat!

     Can you think of a time God has allowed you to bless someone else because of something difficult you have gone through?

     Until next time, trust the Lord even in the midst of the storm!

In Christ,

Bethany