One of my favorite places in the world is the Northern California coastline. It is marked by a very particular tree- the Cypress tree. The interesting thing about cypress trees is that they look different on the coastline than anywhere else due to the harsher climate of the cold and strong ocean winds. The coastal winds blow and shape them into beautiful misty shapes. In warmer and more protected areas, they are ugly bushes just filling space.
It reminds me of how God uses the winds and pressures of our
life circumstances to shape us into beautiful forms- much more beautiful than
would occur in the safe comfort zones we often choose.
