Coconut and Typhoons
Filed Under Personal
A priest recently ask me, “Do you know the difference between the coconuts near the shore and the trees inland?”
I pause a bit and convincing myself that I don’t see any difference, I asked him back. He told me that trees that grew near the shorelines are stronger and doesn’t easily fall even with strong winds and typhoons. I must admit that I did not realize that until he told me so. If you’ll notice, trees and nuts (coconuts) that stands near the shore is constantly battling strong winds but they don’t fall down. They even bear fruit. On the contrary, you’ll see fallen trees blocking the streets every time there is a strong typhoon. I’ve seen this numerous times in my home province. Our was even damaged one time by a fallen tree. So, how is it related to our dire situation?
People are like the trees. There are people who are like those that are near the shorelines. Winds from the seas are strong and constant. And the more they are battered by strong winds, the more they extends their roots into the ground. It adjusts to the situation so that on every time a typhoon or the strong “habagat” winds comes, the tree would be able to survive. In the end, the winds allowed the tree to grow stronger, with extended roots, with proper grounding. On the contrary, the trees further inland are not often subjected to strong winds and thus become vulnerable when a typhoon comes. They easily sway and fall.
In real life, problems actually makes us stronger. And we must understand that anything that won’t kill us will only make us stronger if we choose to. Easier said than done but with God’s grace, storms will past and we will be better prepared on the next.