Rings

While headed to work recently, I got caught behind a logging truck. Stacked on top of each other, tree trunks were displayed for the entire world to see. Each one showcased a distinct ring in its center. I realized that when I was younger, I knew what those rings meant. After a few minutes of internet research, the meaning was rediscovered. According to an online resource, the rings on a tree do oh so much more than tell its age. On one website, a tree was studied and researchers said, “This tree is 62 years old. It’s been through fire and drought, plague and plenty. And all of this is recorded in its rings.” It is not just the measurable years that show in a tree’s rings—it’s the conditions. It’s the harsh, the temperate, the pleasurable, and the barely-survivable.

Sometimes I think that our hearts show our age the way the rings of a tree do. Our hearts are scarred, darkened, or refreshed all depending on the seasons we’ve survived or thrived through. We hold deep dark wounds from periods of drought, periods where love was too little and the pressures of life were too intense. We all have lighter years where blessings and joy seems to flow like a steady, pleasant rain. The truth is, we all show age—not because of our measurable years but because of our experiences and our environments. Bitterness and burdens add years to the heart.

I think this is what God does when He makes us new. Sure, He can change our circumstances. He can change and restore our relationships. He can heal us in a physical sense. But, I like to think that God is really in the business of making hearts new. He can remove the hurt and harm. He can transform the dark years that were plagued by dryness and doubt. He can take a heart that has been bruised and broken, a heart that is aged in the worst sense of the word, and make it brand new.