As we go through our lives and experience difficult things, we often discover that we have strength that we never imagined we could have.  For strength doesn’t come from what we already know we can do.  Strength comes from overcoming the things we thought we couldn’t.  In the process, we learn that true strength isn’t rooted in our own skills and abilities.  It is rooted in our faith in a loving God who brings all things together for our good.  And through this faith, we see that true strength is about standing tall despite our fears, and about getting back up again after we fall.  True strength is in overcoming all the scary, difficult things that at first we thought we couldn’t do.  It is in the messy process of trying and stumbling and trying again.  True strength is in carrying on, day after day, one step at a time.

                 The Willow
            By Krista Longeway

The willow stands strong
Despite wailing winds and relentless rain
Branches bending but not breaking
As the wind tosses them to and fro
Leaves fluttering and flailing
Yet clinging bravely to their branches
The willow’s trunk
Growing gracefully from the ground
Reinforced by roots that reach deep into the earth
And I, like the willow
Standing strong amidst the storms of life
Though circumstances change
And the world seems wildly unpredictable
Still I stand tall 
Firmly rooted in my faith
That God’s goodness will prevail 
And that when the storm passes
I will still be here, 
My face turned towards the sun
Soaking in the warmth and wonder
Of love and laughter once again.