Today was a rain, then sun, then rain, then sun, all day. My little piece of heaven got several heavy showers. Penelope and I sat in the swing as the first morning rain showers poured over Mother Earth. I love sitting on the porch when it’s raining. The cardinals are always so joyful feeding in the rain. The fighting finches headed for the bamboo and the handsome red cardinals and their beautiful velvet brown mates enjoyed the sunflower seed feeders all by themselves. Came in the house when the wind picked up and watched out the window as the bamboo performed their rain dances as their slender fronds kept time to the earth’s heartbeat. The wind pushed the bamboo canes over but the canes just bent in the wind gusts and bounced back up. Bamboo is strong, resilient, and unbreakable just like our faith in a loving God. Our Christian faith gives us the ability to adapt to any circumstances and through our prayers and thanksgiving we are able to stand tall in adversity.

Bamboo’s deep unseen roots grow for five years before a shoot pushes through the ground. I think we have to nurture our faith with prayer and scripture trusting in God to deeply root our faith in his grace. Salvation is a gift from God, an unmerited undeserved favor. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Our faith gives us the flexibility of a bamboo cane. “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists,” Japanese Proverb. We bend and sway in life’s darkness but we stand tall in our faith and remain faithful during life’s storms by surrendering to God’s will.

If you ever notice bamboo you’ll see it grows in interconnected groves. My daddy planted bamboo in our backyard and it spread to every backyard on our street. When we are witnesses for God, we support and strengthen each other through our community of faith as we share God’s message with others. “Grace is what God does; faith is what we do. It takes both working together to receive salvation,” Andrew Wommack Ministries.

When life bends you and you’re struggling to right yourself, open your Bible to James 4:10 which states, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

“The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.” — Japanese Proverb