Stand Firm

I love trees, I love their beauty, their shape, their uniqueness, and the symbolism they share with the seasons of our own lives. A tree stands tall in all seasons--spring, summer, fall, and winter. They grow in the spring, develop and blossom in the summer, hold on to life for as long as possible in the fall, and then stand alone and barren in the winter months. Spring is quick to come again but first the tree must withstand the storms, winds, and cold of the winter season to prepare itself for growth and strength of holding its leaves. We too need to stand in the storms to gain strength for what God has for us to carry.

One does not always know their strength or their frame until they are forced to shed that which covers it. In the winter I love looking at the trees skeleton and all the hundreds of branches that intertwine and those that stand alone--each tree has so much character in their structure, but in the summer months it is sometimes overlooked by the foliage that decorates it.
The winter months of our lives, when we must stand strong, are our moments where we can display our uniqueness and our strength. The winds may seem harsher and it may seem that life may never flourish in us again but hold strong and stand firm because seasons of growth always follow after the winter.

Standing is the hardest part of our Christian journey. Hebrews 12:12 states, "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees." Even before Christ tells us to go to battle and to put on our armor, He first tells us to stand. In Ephesians 6:13, He doesn't say "if" the day of evil comes, He says "when" the day of evil comes. He knows that we will endure battles and that the enemy's goal is to knock us off our feet and to bring us to our knees.
When that day comes, Ephesians 6:13 states "and after you have done everything, to stand." Fight, train, battle and in the end---stand.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
Being a Christian means we are saved from eternal damnation; however, it does not mean we are saved from having to fight spiritual battles.
In every season of life stand firm because "the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."