The Shaking Is Okay

By: Jenifer Metzger

I love plants, however, I am not good with them. Over the past couple of years I have found a couple house plants I, the plant killer, can actually keep alive. One plant is the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree. This tree is beautiful! The fact that I can keep not just one but two alive in my home is a miracle! After getting my first Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree, I looked on Facebook for a FLF group for tips. I found a great group with tips that have helped immensely.

One tip the group gave me was to shake the trunk of the tree often. Say what!? Shake the trunk of a tree? This seemingly absurd practice actually strengthens the tree. The shaking mimics the wind blowing and helps the tree to grow strong and withstand more. If the tree never faces any wind or shaking, it can become weak.

God allows life to give us these little shakes sometimes. We face a hardship or crisis -shaking- and we feel shaken. We face a bad day -wind blowing- and feel stressed. These shakes, this wind blowing, is not only okay,  but actually good for us. We need it to strengthen our faith and walk with the Lord.

If we were to never face any hardship or struggle, if life were always perfect, we would come to depend on ourselves. We would forget our need for a Savior. It's in these struggles and hard times that we learn how to lean on God. It's when our faith deepens. It's how we understand what others are facing.

The key is to lean into God. To remember that through the shaking and blowing wind, He is there. He is holding us up, strengthening us, and working out His plan.

He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.

Isaiah 40:29

Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them.

For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you;

He will not leave you or abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God

is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

The next time you feel the wind blowing or that shake down, lean in to God. Ask Him to strengthen you and grow your faith. And remember that the shaking is okay.