Gumption

Hubby and I are experiencing Olympic withdrawals. What I’ll miss the most are the profiles of athletes who have overcome great adversity, who have the gumption it takes to persevere through trials to achieve greatness.

Such inspiring stories are all around us, though a TV crew may not cover them. Take, for example, the tiny cottonwood below. It’s been inadvertently weed-eated, mowed, and trampled by cows. After each calamity, I thought it was done for; in fact, I couldn’t even find it in its little ditch on the edge of a hayfield. Weeks or months later, though, it would rise up out of oblivion and start the whole business of growing--again.

When fall comes, I’ll transplant the little tree to a safer location. Such moves can be hard on saplings, but I have no doubt that this one will not only survive but thrive. (I pray the same for you, whatever the obstacles that must be overcome!)

“Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better….They'll thrive, they'll flourish. The days of contempt will be over.”    –JEREMIAH 30:19