God seems to teach life’s most important lessons through symbols or analogies, and as we identify the profound messages contained in His creations, we can be at peace on our own path to prosperity and an abundant life… even in the middle of our greatest trials.

An image from nature came to mind as I sat in my car, so lest I would forget it, I pulled out my notebook and jotted it down:

A little acorn wants to become all that its blueprint promises that it can be. It is meant to become a grand and mighty oak, but for now, it is only a simple nut dangling by a stem.

It hangs on the parent tree and reaches high, wanting to see the grand views and sweep the vast sky with broad branches. It wants to experience the fluttering of leaves and the swaying of limbs, but alas, it can barely feel the breeze slowed by the shelter of its protecting parent.

Finally the parent hears its cry and says, “Yes, little seed, I have great plans for you. You will scrape the sky and sway in the wind, and the view will be glorious. You’ll provide a home for many creatures, giving shelter and food… your friends will be many, your influence will be vast, and you’ll be great and happy.”

The little acorn’s heart swells with excitement as it stretches its rigid shell upward to receive its promised reward, but instead of enjoying the exhilaration of greatness, it is shaken from the tree and takes a long, hard fall… landing with nothing more than a slight thud.

In fact, there is no apparent compassion or understanding, since its terrible fall seems to go unnoticed. Its very world seems to have crashed down, and yet time marches on for everything else around it.

The tiny acorn soon finds itself trampled upon, with dirt kicked rudely upon it. Eventually, it’s completely buried, in the dark, and alone.

“Have you forgotten me??!” He cries, but there is no answer… no explanation, no reprieve. Instead of rescue, the rain begins to pour and at once the buried seed believes it just may drown as well.

It tries to throw its weight one way and then the other to force its way out of the ground, or to find its way back to the tree. But nothing changes. It is as though it is trapped and cannot escape its doom.

Weary of the fight, it surrenders to its fate. Holding still with a sigh, the elements around it take notice of its calmed demeanor and begin to respond to its mere presence there. In fact, without any more futile struggle, it begins to notice there is a subtle change taking place within itself.

It discovers that as it remains calm, it actually ALREADY has all it needs, right there in its immediate environment. It hasn’t perished from being cut off from its parent, as it feared it might. Though the fall was frightening and terrible, there it remains, as alive and as well as before.

No, it has not perished. Rather, it has sprouted new parts of itself from within that it didn’t even know it could sprout, and the little seed begins to experience the joy that always accompanies growth and soul-expansion. Though it hasn’t achieved its ultimate goal, it feels good enough just to grow.

After that temporary period of loneliness and fear, soon the seedling has broken through the crust of earth and can finally see the goal again – though it has never appeared to be so far away as it is now.

However, in truth, it has never been closer.

Be patient, little seed; you were created for the greatness that is in store for you. Allow yourself time to develop roots, and keep reaching for the Sun. Trust God, and success is inevitable. All you need to accomplish the goal will be yours in the right time. Remember…

Peace, be still.

(c) Leslie Householder

Did you know? This acorn story was recently included in the updated editions of my best selling books Portal to Genius and Hidden Treasures (read them free!)

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Leslie Householder

Leslie Householder is the award-winning, international best selling author of The Jackrabbit Factor, Portal to Genius, and Hidden Treasures: Heaven's Astonishing Help With Your Money Matters. Since 2002, she has helped people all over the world discover and apply the Rare Kind of Faith that causes things to happen for powerful life changes. Through story and shifts of perspective, Leslie aims to help her readers crush every challenge, achieve every goal, and vanquish every monster under their beds. Above all, Leslie is a dedicated wife and mother of seven children.

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