[Discoveries] 07-16-07 Built to last

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*... and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a 
crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of 
mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They 
will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the 
display of His splendor. -- Isaiah 61:3*/

My favorite wildflower is the Black-Eyed Susan. It reminds me, in a way, 
of a young woman, dressed in a scarf and plain clothes, hard at work on 
the farm, yet radiating the kind of quiet beauty that makes a young man 
think of all the heroics he could do to win her heart. In the same way, 
the Black-Eyed Susan is unassuming and unpretentious, yet her beauty 
makes me forget about everything else on the prairie.

Every summer the Black-Eyed Susan makes its appearance here in 
Wisconsin. It's here for a little while, then it wilts away.

But when God makes people beautiful, he follows a different path. He 
plants oaks of righteousness. What is an oak? An oak stands strong year 
after year. It weathers every kind of storm.

I did some research on the web and discovered that a 1998 storm felled a 
373 year old oak in Ohio -- considered the oldest tree in the U.S. east 
of the Mississippi River. And, according to one article, there are oaks 
in Israel that are thought to be 800 years old. God expects His work in 
us to last!

Be encouraged!
Dwight


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