Mightier Still and Unafraid

I hate feeling afraid. At one time in my life not too many years ago, I found myself in a situation of great fear about the future, wondering if I was strong enough to get through the crisis I was in. A friend challenged me to remember that “the mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.” I found comfort in that thought.

James Allen says “the oak sleeps in the acorn.”

These small snippets of acorn wisdom are so true, and especially meaningful when we’re feeling small. There is more to an acorn than we can see with our eyes. It’s hope. It’s miracle. It’s nature’s unimaginable ability to stay alive and to grow.

There have been so many times in life when I have felt kinship with the tiniest acorn, on its own in a vast forest, feeling small, weak, insignificant, afraid . . . thinking how very improbable it would be to eventually have the strength of a deeply rooted oak,

An interesting bit of trivia is that the roots of an oak tree can extend down into the ground up to two and one-half times their height. So all of this offers us two useful metaphors: the possibility and the hope that lies inside of an acorn, and the secure longevity of a deeply rooted oak tree.

Pictured in the blog today is a majestic 1,500 year old South Carolina oak tree . It reminds me of strength and resiliency. It reminds me that, even when our journey is rough, we can survive with the strength and resiliency that is within us.

Recently, someone shared with me that she felt she would be uprooted and blown away by the gale-force winds of change in her life. I felt deeply concerned for her, but at the same time, I felt the hope that comes from knowing that each of us has astounding strength and resiliency.

Yes, the mighty winds may blow all about us, but we stand — mightier still — and unafraid. The acorn takes root. The roots push deeply into the earth. Strength increases and we stand tall against the wind.