A Spark of Faith and a Resurrection Tree

Many moons ago, we moved into a new home in Pasadena MD, and one of the first things we did was plant a little flowering cherry tree in the corner of our front yard. For a year or two it thrived, and then very suddenly it started wilting. Then, one by one, its branches started dying off, victims of a borer infestation. We treated the tree, but to no avail, and in the fall we cut the poor dead tree down to the ground with plans to replace it in the Spring. I was going to dig it up right then, but deep down neither of us wanted to give up on it quite yet so we let it rest.

Winter passed, and we went out in the yard the following Spring resigned to the fact that we were finally going to have to dig it up. But, Lo and behold, there were tiny sprouts coming out of that dead stump, so we decided to let it go and see what it would do. That "dead" tree grew like gangbusters. Each successive Spring after that our reborn tree grew larger and larger, and always seemed to reach its full bloom right around Easter. In a 2012 conversation with Hank Simon, our pastor at the time, we all started referring to it as our Resurrection Tree, and Pastor Hank even based a sermon on it.

Nearly thirty years later, that tree still stands in our old front yard. If we'd given up, if we'd lost hope, it never would have achieved it's true potential. The photo below was taken in April of 2012 during Easter week. As you can see, with Marci standing under it to show its scale, it's huge and it's glorious. Since those first tiny sprouts showed up out of that stump, it's been a symbol of the power of hope for us, and a reminder that even a tiny spark of faith can yield breathtaking results.

God Bless and stay well,
Dan and Marci Beard