{"id":6510,"date":"2019-11-03T08:54:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-03T13:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=6510"},"modified":"2019-11-02T17:14:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-02T21:14:33","slug":"god-always-did-the-growing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=6510","title":{"rendered":"God Always Did the Growing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/20180318_161415-e1534180193612-576x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4108\" width=\"240\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/20180318_161415-e1534180193612-576x1024.jpg 576w, http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/20180318_161415-e1534180193612-169x300.jpg 169w, http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/20180318_161415-e1534180193612-768x1365.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Me:  That tree has been there a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prodigal:  Yes, and it looks like it will remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am looking straight ahead.  I have stopped.  I am not sure why I have stopped.  But what is in front of me demands attention without even a sound.  It is quiet.  A warm breeze is in the air so that your skin does not feel a chill.  The squirrels quickly run along the leaves on the ground which causes a rustling to reach your ears.  There is no sense of threat.  This area is not disturbed.  Everything seems as it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can&#8217;t take my eyes from what lays a couple of feet away.  Most people probably would have kept on walking.  Focused on the path, or focused on keeping a pace.  Me I saw something different.  It was a tree that was big, strong, and alone.  The oak tree was not young.  This mighty sapling had stood some time, winds, and rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As my eyes scanned the tree, something was not present.  There were no fallen branches, dead leaves, or signs of disease on this old oak.  No this tree, stood, and stretched out with its branches reaching for the sun light.  It reminded me of a soul, of a blessing of the Lord.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What have you gone through oak?  What have you seen, and yet you remain standing, and have domain on this area where you have been planted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We cannot trust the Lord unless we learn from this oak.  We have to survive, threats, seasons, weather, and our surroundings.  We have to reach out to find the sun, nutrients, and to grow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first we are trying to strive so much, and are so small we are not noticed.  But if we continue in years, and seasons, we grow without noticing.  We grow, and spread out limbs.  It is then that we being to resemble a tree.  A tree that some people will stop to notice.  It then that some will notice our strength, and notice that we have not succumb to the threats that seem always around us.  Without saying, without trying people will know that we trust the Lord, and the Lord is with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.  He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending our roots to the water.  It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green; it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeremiah 17:7-8<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Me: That tree has been there a while. Prodigal: Yes, and it looks like it will remain. I am looking straight ahead. I have stopped. I am not sure why I have stopped. But what is in front of me demands attention without even a sound. It is quiet. A warm breeze is in the &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=6510\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>God Always Did the Growing - The Prodigal Pig<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=6510\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"God Always Did the Growing - The Prodigal Pig\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Me: That tree has been there a while. 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