THe oaK TRee

by Jonny Ray Ryder Jr. 

A mighty wind blew night and day

It stole the oak tree's leaves away

Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark

Until the oak was tired and stark

But still the oak tree held its ground

While other trees fell all around

The weary wind gave up and spoke. 

How can you still be standing Oak? 

The oak tree said, I know that you

Can break each branch of mine in two

Carry every leaf away

Shake my limbs, and make me sway

But I have roots stretched in the earth

Growing stronger since my birth

You'll never touch them, for you see

They are the deepest part of me

Until today, I wasn't sure

Of just how much I could endure

But now I've found, with thanks to you 

I'm stronger than I ever knew

Hard times are nothing new to anyone living here on this earth. The thing is, no matter how undeserving we feel of the trials thrown at us almost daily, they are given to us by loving Father. A Father who hates to see us suffer, but who also knows that unless we do we will never grow to the potential He knows we can reach. Without trying times, there is no need or means for us to grow.  It's those trials that help us to realize just how strong we are. Just like the oak tree who had everything stripped from him before realizing his true strength, we to must push ourselves to our very limits in order to see just how far we've come.