Trees....

You know that old cliche, "you can't see the forest for the trees"? Well, recently I had a chance to explore a forest a little bit, and found it to be very revealing, if you just look at it from different angles and perspectives.

In August, our family went on a week-long trip to Canada, and camped at the Parc d'Oka, which is a beautiful National Park in Quebec. The purpose of our trip was to participate in a family mission trip organized by our church. We were helping two local churches with vacation Bible school, so our days were busy with songs, crafts, Bible stories, snacks, and sharing special moments with all the boys and girls who participated. It was a great joy to see the church filled with children each day, and many of their parents participated, as well, so the message of God's redeeming love reached many hearts.

In our few spare moments back at the campsite, we enjoyed going to the beach, playing outside, and the kids loved riding their bikes up and down a big hill nearby. The weather was very wet and stormy most of the week, but one day the skies cleared for a few minutes, and I was able to get outside for a little nature stroll.

These photos are what I found:

A beautiful canopy of trees...

A stand of four trees, which made me think about my little family of four....

And finally, the discovery that the four tree trunks pictured above are actually one tree, branching into four distinct trunks, but always joined as one.

When looking at this big 4-in-one tree, I couldn't help but think of my family, how Marc and the boys and I are joined together in such a special way, but we are distinct individuals. Each of us has a unique personality that contributes to our family and makes us who we are. Additionally, the image of the 4 trees joined together made me think of an anchor, and how God anchors us to Him, so that we may live out the unique plan He has for each of us. God is our foundation, and no matter what, He will help us stand firm, tall, sure, and strong.

It's truly amazing what you notice, when you see the forest and the trees.