Refuse to give up!!

Good Morning Friends. I pray you had a good night's sleep last night. A number of years ago, as I was driving down one of the back roads through the Bear Paw Mountains of Northern Montana, I looked up and saw an old twisted pine tree that seemed to be growing out of a solid rock cliff. It was sort of an ugly little tree, not too appealing to the eye, not large or tall or majestic like the trees... down below in the valley. And I marveled at the tree, not because of it's beauty or stature, but because of it's resilience, and it's refusal to give up, and it's determination to grow in spite of it's circumstances. I didn't see any evidence of the tree complaining to God that it was born in the wrong location, or that it was too difficult to grow out of solid rock, exposed to the frigid winds that blasted the cliff face, or lack of water that ran off to the valley below.
No! Among all the trees I saw that day, that little crooked thing caught my eye and amazed me above all the other trees. I think God wants us to be like that little tree. Will we be complainers about our situation in life, and live the life of victims, or will we, against all odds, thrive and grow with God's help. Let's defy our life situations, and rise up, like that little tree, grow as God created us to. That little tree was filled with pine cones, perhaps a father or mother to some of the giants that grew down below. God is AWESOME, and He created each of us to be unique and wonderful in our own way!! Blessings for a great day!!! :))