If you feel stressed as you rise on a dark winter´s morning, consider the palm tree!   Did you know it´s said that the palm tree can withstand more stress than any other tree?  

The palm is a symbol of life and hope in harsh conditions, and for that reason is shown on the flags of several desert nations.    The towering palm can be seen from a distance, a welcome sign that water was not far off, because the palm tree always grows near a source of life giving water.   In Biblical times, the sight of a palm tree in an oasis like Jericho, meant the difference between life and death to a desert traveller.

The palm also conjures up pictures of tropical beaches.

The sort of place where you would love to be on a winter morning.

But since the devastating tsunamis, the scene has changed.

We watched with horror as those towering waves crashed on to the shore and swept people away.   But do you remember something withstood the onslaught?

The palm tree.

Wind and water pass right through the tough spiny leaves of palms, and although their trunks may bent almost double, palm trees survive when nothing else can.  

Unlike many trees, which have a huge display of leaves and a slim trunk, the palm´s strength in its trunk and its roots.  And when the wind and water abate, the palm has a tenacious root system that strengthens itself, so that it is even stronger the next time a storm blows up.

When we concentrate all our efforts in being firmly rooted and upright, rather than big and showy, we also, can stand strong in the storms and stresses of everyday life.

But the one thing the palm tree cannot survive in is the cold.   It just dies.

When people are cold to us we die, too.

And when we grow cold to the Lord we lose everything.   We lose our salvation.   So, remember the palm tree today.   Keep well rooted in the Word of God and stay strong whatever comes against you.

And if people are cold, warm them with a smile.

I wonder how many people you and I can be a blessing to today?