I first encountered the fallen tree on one of my treks into the bukit timah nature reserve five years ago. I had no idea how it had fallen, or when it did. But there it was, lying on its sides with its massive arms reaching towards the sky. The fallen giant was still alive. Its branches were defiantly reaching skyward with its leaves shimmering gently in the breeze. And that taught me something valuable. The imposing tree that had once stood upright was determined to live. It had experienced a calamity that had altered its posture but it did not stop growing. This tree refused to give up. Instead, it found new ways to grow.
There were times when I wonder about my future and whether it was worth staying in the fight. There were times when I feel too weak to raise my arms when I am exhaust without the refreshment of an encouraging word. There were even moments when I thought what would really happen to me if I gave up, and stop caring truly about love and loving? If I get to the point where I just accept that people lie, that everybody lies and that nobody really cares about others but only themselves.
On those occasions where I thought, God would remind me of the tree — and the tree’s upraised branches would point me to God.
God used the fallen tree to remind me that giving up is not an option, regardless of how severe the blow. There are always new and creative ways to grow. The tree also reminded me that failure never has to be final and defeat never has to be devastating. Those who have experienced and survived failure can attest to the fact that some of life’s greatest lessons are learned when we are lying helplessly on our backs. And the great thing about getting knocked down is that we are forced to look up. Of the countless trees I have seen in my life, none stood taller than this tree. It’s been more than five years since I last visited my fallen friend, but I’m confident that it’s still reaching skywards.
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Hello. Once in a while, I will take some time to read certain meaningful entries that I have posted before.