Lightning Strikes We Can’t See
Walking through Babler State Park my husband and I discovered this tree.
I’ve never been this close to a tree hit by lightning. I have heard it hit but not seen the fresh results.
The lightning sends its razor hot light onto the tree and causes the water inside to steam, sizzle and pop open the bark. You can see the bark resting on the bed of leaves.
Will this tree recover? Probably. It’s young and new bark will cover the scar. Or it might not be strong enough to withstand the trauma of the strike.
In life we are often hit with lightning bolts of a different kind. Your husband has heart issues, a baby is lost, your child no longer calls home, there isn’t enough money to pay the bills. It feels like a strip of ourselves is laid bare for everyone to see.
Except it’s not. The man at the store who pushes his cart in front of you can’t see the pain, a friend has no idea until you mention what has happened, or we might say “I’m fine” to anyone who asks..
Keeping our scars fresh and hidden can cause them to fester and not heal. Remember when you were a kid and scraped your knees? How you hid the injury under a bandage and tried not to bump it? Then you fell again and the bandage didn’t protect you anymore? Once again you were in pain because the old scrape hadn’t healed.
It’s better to tell someone what has happened. They can protect you from re-injury before you’ve healed enough to handle another bolt of pain. Even better, take it to God because He understands. He sees your hurts, brokenness and scrapes.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
This post is perfect. Thank you.
Pat, thank you so much for commenting. I come back to this post myself to remind me that wounds will heal and I will be stronger in that place the next time it happens.
This is a great post!
Thanks Sara. I was fascinated by that tree.