“Since God takes delight in all He created, He frequently protects the weak, the rare and the struggling remnant in a special way.”
A few years ago, I purchased the property next to the Agape Haus Music Studio to restore the land and save the old tree in the picture above. The 300 year old Live Oak tree had persevered decades of drought and neglect. The old tree had been choked and suffocated by garbage, thorny weeds, horrible fencing, and large rocks. Restoration became my primary goal….all for the love of a forgotten, neglected tree.
The other day, the horrible fencing that divided her lovely branches was finally removed. I spent some time in the gardens, cleaning up debris from the old fencing. I moved the Passion Vines, two large antique rose bushes, a salvia and an heirloom lilac bush. As I dug up the lilac, something caught my eye…a young Live Oak tree, growing unexpectedly in the poor, sandy soil.
A remnant.
A remnant, by definition, is “what is left after something goes through a catastrophe.” I found this definition so incredibly fitting. I was originally told that the property had horrible soil and “nothing would ever grow”, especially not a remnant of a beautiful Live Oak tree.
I love to watch the Lord create something out of nothing, and do the impossible. From the very dust of the earth, the Lord breathed life into mankind. The same Lord, Who created the heavens and the earth, takes pleasure in all He has created….even in a remnant of an old tree. The Lord also takes great pleasure in you.
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself. A special treasure above all the people who are on the face of the earth.” –Deuteronomy 14:2
Honestly, sometimes it is too much for me to understand how the Lord of all takes pleasure in His people. We are like the remnant that now grows in the middle of a property where no tree existed…..and I am, once again, amazed by the Lord. He has taken a broken people and called them to Himself. “You are Mine.” He is the Great Shepherd, and we are the people of His pasture. We are the apple of His eye. How great is it that we, who are called for His glory, are His remnant? His chosen. His beloved. His special treasure. No matter the circumstances, His tender mercies create all things new every morning, because He is faithful.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” —2 Chronicles 16:9
So I looked at my little remnant of a tree, and fed it some compost, feeling thankful for the reminder of God’s goodness and grace.
Merry Christmas, my garden friends. May you feel the warmth of the Season.