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Because the branches of the Baobab tree look like tree roots, some people call it the upside down tree. But this African grown tree is amazing. Its huge trunk stores and supplies water for people during dry seasons; the bark is used for cloth, rope, and dye; the leaves make soup and medicine. The tree lives for 1,000s of years, and if you cut it down, it just re-sprouts and grows again. It looks useless but has huge benefits. The same is true with many so-called bad experiences we have. Here is how the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, describes the silver lining in his low clouds: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.” Paul did not despair in his pain and suffering. He regarded his painful experiences as extending Christ’s kingdom. If we truly follow Christ, we can have the same confidence about our troubles.
