The Silent Force

It is a beautiful, verdant tree, its towering trunk and ample branches providing welcome shade from the Texas heat. However, at some point in its lifetime this tree had suffered a lightening strike that caused an internal split in the tree’s trunk. In an effort to reinforce it, someone had placed a sturdy metal band around the trunk. I was surprised when my daughter walked into the house one day holding this metal band in her hand. “What happened?” I asked her, “Were you pulling on that?” I started to admonish. “No,” she replied, “It was just open.” I went out to evaluate the situation and try to determine what strange force had popped open a metal band, and the conclusion I gathered surprised me. It was not caused by vandalism or curious children, but by the growth of the tree. Despite its scars, its weakness, its internal damage, the tree had continued to grow and its own growth and weight had broken the band that held it.

Sometimes we look at people and it is obvious that there are issues holding their lives in a bind. Samson was one of these people. Despite being called of God to accomplish a great mission as a judge and deliverer of the Israelites, he was held in chains by his own desires. This weakness eventually caught up with him and he found himself a depowered captive. However, the enemies forgot that as his hair grew, his power grew. This oversight allowed Samson to break the fetters of his oppressors and achieve his greatest victory ever.

As humans, we all wrestle with things that hold us down, but we must remember that every human also has the power to grow. As we become more honest with ourselves, more aware of God, more educated about our situation and more dedicated to making small, everyday changes, we begin to grow. Although slow, unseen and not very glamorous, growth has the power to break the restraints that hold us back.