John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Our family was driving through northwestern Wyoming on our way to or from a church we were to visit when we made a brief visit to Yellowstone National Park. There were many fascinating things we saw there: geysers, hot springs, brilliantly colored streams. But one of the most striking sights was the acres and acres of destroyed forest.
Fifteen years ago a fire ripped through the park and with the help of great winds destroyed huge forests so that as you drive through some places all you see are hills of charred stumps of evergreens. At first glance it’s so depressing but wait! Looking closely I noticed small evergreen trees all about 1 ½ meters high. It looked like what they typically do in Poland when the lumberjacks replant trees after they have harvested a section of woods. But this wasn’t the case at Yellowstone. Later I discovered that not one of those trees was planted by man but by God.
You see, God designed these trees whose cones will open up and plant their seeds only under a high temperature such as a forest fire. Therefore, when a fire breaks out, every dying tree is releasing and planting many new trees all around it resulting in new life.
It seems that when the fire rips through our lives we complain. It’s such a tragedy! Such a waste! How could this happen to me? To my family? Most often we see the fire lick up someone else’s life and other times we feel the flames hot on ourselves. Is it possible that God wants to take each fire to produce new life? I wonder if you have ever seen that yourself? Have you seen the testimony of those who shine like the stars amidst pain and suffering? And the result: seeds planted all around – new life!
Isn’t it awesome to know that God turns defeat into victory? After all, that’s the story of his Son
