A Longing Fulfilled Is a Tree of Life

Painting by Gustav Klimt


Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

I read recently that having goals is key to a path of living well at every stage of life. These don't have to be major change the world goals - they can be minor. We are all a mixture of wildly large and incredibly small hopes and dreams. Seeing a hope or goal fulfilled has a multiplier effect in your life - it becomes a "tree of life" - something that continues giving back. This is easy to forget in the midst of going to work, or whatever your daily responsibilities are.

Here are some of my hopes and longings - not in order of importance!

• have a garden that is a delight to me and visitors to my home.
  
• instill in my children a good work ethic and a joy in life.
• get new countertops in my kitchen - small, very doable! - it's just a when decision
  
• to be an encourager - to shine light into people's lives - to encourage them to be who God designed them to be.
• to be forgiving
• to not make the same mistake over and over again
  
• paint more landscapes (again, very doable)
  
• to contribute to beauty in my community and world
• to take down the dead trees in my yard. That's ironic in a post about a tree of life.
• share the joys of Cold Stream Pond with my children.
  

I've begun on the first goal. Last fall, I went out and bought bulbs - daffodils, tulips, allium - and planted them in the ground. There are many things I miss about my old garden, and I set out to add them to the garden at my new house. I have a lot of work to do here, but it's beginning to pay off, as I saw one of the allium bulbs had pushed it's way up through the soil yesterday.

What do you hope for, long for? Think about it and write these down. Some of mine are very minor, and some are the kind that it will take a whole life to achieve.

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.