Beauty from Ashes
“Why don’t people find burned areas beautiful?” my professor asked.” I stared at the ugly black trees, a shadow of what once stood tall and strong and thought to myself, because they are a tragedy to behold.
Time passed and I didn’t think much of my professor’s comment but then I learned about the Jack Pine Tree. Jack Pines are not your traditional pine tree, lean and tall. Instead they seem to grow in a way that looks like every branch is headed in a different direction. The Jack Pine Tree looks confused from the start. The interesting thing about these trees is that it takes either extreme cold, like an Ice Age, or extreme heat, like a fire in order for the pinecones to germinate. People don’t appreciate the damage from fires so we don’t let fires just happen, which makes sense in order to preserve our homes. But the problem is that many things in the forest need fire in order to grow. If there aren’t fires, then forests get stuck in the secondary succession. The trees get tall and full and block out any undergrowth from being able to grow. Have you ever noticed how green the life is that comes after a fire?
There is a bird that can only nest in the grass of a young forest of Jack Pine Trees. The Kirkland Warbler is a great asset to farmers as they eat many insects that destroy crops. But due to the fact that Michigan wasn’t stopping forest fires, Jack Pine Trees were unable to germinate new life and the Kirland Warbler population was struggling so insects were increasing. When scientists figured out what was happening, they started to have controlled burns and the Kirkland Warbler population increased, much to the farmers relief.
I realized the point my professor was trying to make, forest fires represent new life. They represent growth and promise. I thought about my own life, I’ve had my share of fires. Tragedies that have left scars, some you can see, and many you can’t. I don’t know why life works this way but we all seem to grow in the trials, the fires, of our lives.
I don’t believe that “everything happens for a reason,” but I believe that God can make A REASON IN ALL THINGS. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) He can make a purpose in the burns of life. He can help us to see the beauty in the middle of tragedy.
We live in a world of sin, tragedy is going to strike. People have free choice to make decisions that may hurt us, but God can make beauty in whatever pain sin causes. He can and will “give beauty for ashes.” (Isaiah 61:3)
