Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beauty in the branches.

Like most people, I look forward to Spring when the branches of these trees will once again show signs of life. I look forward to the different greenish hues that will adorn these branches, yet I will also miss the varied patterns of the intertwined branches revealed by the lack of leaves in winter.

For me the true character of a tree is seen when the leaves are stripped away. There is no hiding the form of a tree in the depth of winter.

The winter of pain and suffering has a way of revealing our character.

On the one hand, suffering has a tendency to reveal our brokenness. When we sit on the razor's edge of pain we come face-to-face with our self-centeredness. The questions, "Why me!" "Why this!" "Why now!" form on our lips. And in our search for answers we distance ourselves from others.

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Mark 15:34 English Standard Version

On the other hand suffering has a tendency to reveal the mercy of God. We might withdraw from people in our pain, but God draws near. He is intimate with pain, suffering the brutality of an unlawful execution on his cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus was forsaken in his suffering that you might be confident that God will never forsake you n yours.

God is not only with us in our suffering, he forms our character through suffering. Even winter can be a season of growth for the redeemed of Christ.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.