As a part of our community development service earlier this year, my peers and I embarked on a bush clearing exercise. After observing a tree, which had become an environmental pollutant, we decided to cut it down. Six months later, my attention was drawn to the totally forgotten tree, and I noticed it had begun to sprout up again, which reminded me of Job 14:7 NIV: “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.”
Confused and in disarray, with leaves scattered all over…
Standing erect through different seasons, becoming a poser…
As passers-by stared disgustfully, shaking their heads…
Since it bore no fruits even after many years…
Around its root was a dumping ground for dirt…
And its branches were welcoming hosts for pests…
Ants, worms, and all kind of insects…
Leaving its stems with all kind of defects…
As its menace encumbered…
It seemed like its days were numbered…
Even with all kinds of treatment…
It never showed any sign of improvement…
Its planter had long waited its rising…
Becoming impatient, he cut it…
Finally it was brought down from the trunk of its foot…
But still on the ground was a chunk of its root…
Months went by, as it was never remembered….
By so many of its kind, it was greatly outnumbered…
Getting to two years a trace of its trunk began to lengthen…
The waste around formed manure for its growing…
Becoming stronger, its branches sprang out forcefully…
With glossy green leaves growing robustly…
Soon traces of its fruits began to emerge…
The sweetest breed at that, fresh and large…
As its owner began to notice its sprouting …
He proudly made preparations for its harvesting …
It became a lesson to all those who witnessed around…
There’s hope for a tree after being brought to the ground …
It may seem unproductive and distressed…
But give it time, its scars would bring out its best…
Metaphorically…as it applies to every man…
We shouldn’t judge the future by the events of the now…
As long as a trace of life exists in us…
Success or failure now becomes a function of choice…
The process determines the end production…
Our distress is a journey not the destination…
We shouldn’t ridicule people in their trying periods…
Because when you least expect it, they’ll emerge victorious…
As with many examples from Job’s story we’ve seen…
“There’s hope for a tree; it will sprout again if it is cut…
and its new shoots will not fall short.”
