The night our tree came down was very stormy and windy. A huge thunderstorm blew in and literally shook the house. There were a few gusts strong enough to move the walls. I was worried it would take off the roof, or damage our fences. And I prayed God would watch over us. And then I remembered the big trash can was still out in the front yard.
The last storm had thrown it down the street. So I opened the garage door to move the trash can inside. As I looked up, I was met by our tree- laying flat on the ground!
More specifically I was met by the leafy tops of the tree branches- standing taller than me in the pouring rain. Normally I would have just seen just the trunk of the tree 30 feet away.
Perfect landing- thank you God!
We were so fortunate because this very tall tree was laying parallel to the house. If it had fallen in the other direction it would have smashed into our son’s bedroom window. A bedroom that he already struggles to sleep in nightly because he has nightmares. I looked at that tree in the rain and even though I was shocked it was down, I breathed a sigh of relief.
It had been perfectly healthy! And we had no warning that it was weakening. Then I called the whole family out to see the sight. It was incredible! The whole tree was down when no other trees in the neighborhood had lost branches.
I was so relieved that I said a prayer. I thanked Heavenly Father for protecting the house because as I stood in the yard it was clear to me that the tree fell in precisely the only location it could have. Any other angle would have smashed the house.
Prayer of thanksgiving
As I said my prayer I remembered a moment when I had said a similar prayer. That day I had been driving in traffic and narrowly missed hitting another driver. That time I had said a similar prayer and I heard the Lord respond “That gift wasn’t for you. I didn’t want him to have a bad day.” It was a humbling moment.
I’d never realized we could benefit from gifts from God that were meant for another person. This time, as I prayed, the answer was slightly different. When I thanked the Lord this time, He reminded me of that answer and told me that just like the blessing wasn’t for me that time, it wasn’t for me this time either.
God said that this blessing was for my son. He said He knew how hard it would be on my son if that tree had destroyed his sanctuary. That the tree had to come down, and He was watching out for this sweet boy.
God is good
What a beautiful moment! My Heavenly Father loves my sweet son so much. He shows me that love over and over again. And this time He showed my son through a tangible and visual gift. I was so excited to tell my family about this moment. It was such a faith builder for both of us.
I also learned that often God gives us blessings we don’t even know about. Think about all the times you have traveled safely to do your errands or go to work. How many times has your family sat down to dinner together after having an uneventful day? Those are all His blessings too. We are blessed far more than we realize when you add those into the equation.
Pray differently
So now I pray differently. I thank God for our blessings, both the ones we know about and the ones we don’t. And I thank Him differently because now I realize that some of the blessings I benefit from were actually for someone else in my family. I try to pay attention to those who may be needing a blessing, and I try to see them as God sees them.
More than anything my eyes have been opened to how often God is involved in my life. If He was making sure a tree fell just the right way, then I know God is doing so much more. May you find His hand in your life more often. And may you be similarly blessed to benefit from every blessing that comes your way.
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