CRIPPLE WOOD
Just like Samson of old, I have a riddle for you today: “The fragrance of healing came out of the cripple wood, and a graceful bearing out of the fire.”
On a recent walk in the Eastern Free State, I found two trees destroyed by fire.
On the right, a broken stump had a small wild plant emerging from its wound. The fragrance was soft, clean, and unexpected—a scent of grace among the soot.
On the left, a blackened tree had one branch that survived the fire. It was the perfect length for a walking stick. I took it home, sanded the burn marks, and brought it back to life. It’s not perfect—it’s crooked and uneven—but it’s strong. A friend laughed and said, “That’s a stick with character.” He was right. Character is formed in the fire.
The tree on the right released a pleasant fragrance. The tree on the left had a branch left over to complete a pilgrimage. They didn’t lose their value in the trauma—they found it precisely within it.
I think of my own wounds. Of the times I felt burned out, useless, finished. But God does not allow fire only to destroy. He lets a pleasant fragrance rise from the wound. He repurposes dry wood to serve as a walking stick on the long road.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for not leaving me in sackcloth and ashes. Shape my character where I go through Your fire. Let a pleasant fragrance come from my wounds. Amen.
Your trauma works healing for others. Even if you are crooked and covered with burn marks—this is not a distortion; this is your story. This is your testimony.
"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 2:15)
#peetbekker #pilgrimstories #radiopulpit #pelgrimsteologie #lindley #ntha
Plowmen Press books: https://pilgrimstories.netlify.app/
Just like Samson of old, I have a riddle for you today: “The fragrance of healing came out of the cripple wood, and a graceful bearing out of the fire.”
On a recent walk in the Eastern Free State, I found two trees destroyed by fire.
On the right, a broken stump had a small wild plant emerging from its wound. The fragrance was soft, clean, and unexpected—a scent of grace among the soot.
On the left, a blackened tree had one branch that survived the fire. It was the perfect length for a walking stick. I took it home, sanded the burn marks, and brought it back to life. It’s not perfect—it’s crooked and uneven—but it’s strong. A friend laughed and said, “That’s a stick with character.” He was right. Character is formed in the fire.
The tree on the right released a pleasant fragrance. The tree on the left had a branch left over to complete a pilgrimage. They didn’t lose their value in the trauma—they found it precisely within it.
I think of my own wounds. Of the times I felt burned out, useless, finished. But God does not allow fire only to destroy. He lets a pleasant fragrance rise from the wound. He repurposes dry wood to serve as a walking stick on the long road.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for not leaving me in sackcloth and ashes. Shape my character where I go through Your fire. Let a pleasant fragrance come from my wounds. Amen.
Your trauma works healing for others. Even if you are crooked and covered with burn marks—this is not a distortion; this is your story. This is your testimony.
"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 2:15)
#peetbekker #pilgrimstories #radiopulpit #pelgrimsteologie #lindley #ntha
Plowmen Press books: https://pilgrimstories.netlify.app/
CRIPPLE WOOD
Just like Samson of old, I have a riddle for you today: “The fragrance of healing came out of the cripple wood, and a graceful bearing out of the fire.”
On a recent walk in the Eastern Free State, I found two trees destroyed by fire.
On the right, a broken stump had a small wild plant emerging from its wound. The fragrance was soft, clean, and unexpected—a scent of grace among the soot.
On the left, a blackened tree had one branch that survived the fire. It was the perfect length for a walking stick. I took it home, sanded the burn marks, and brought it back to life. It’s not perfect—it’s crooked and uneven—but it’s strong. A friend laughed and said, “That’s a stick with character.” He was right. Character is formed in the fire.
The tree on the right released a pleasant fragrance. The tree on the left had a branch left over to complete a pilgrimage. They didn’t lose their value in the trauma—they found it precisely within it.
I think of my own wounds. Of the times I felt burned out, useless, finished. But God does not allow fire only to destroy. He lets a pleasant fragrance rise from the wound. He repurposes dry wood to serve as a walking stick on the long road.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for not leaving me in sackcloth and ashes. Shape my character where I go through Your fire. Let a pleasant fragrance come from my wounds. Amen.
Your trauma works healing for others. Even if you are crooked and covered with burn marks—this is not a distortion; this is your story. This is your testimony.
📖 "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 2:15)
#peetbekker #pilgrimstories #radiopulpit #pelgrimsteologie #lindley #ntha
📚 Plowmen Press books: https://pilgrimstories.netlify.app/
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