Pine Cones

A big nose blew a gust of air into the side of Torin's head, and he turned and patted his grandparents' horse Firefly on the head before continuing to brush her glossy brown coat. He was glad his parents had let him come to Wyoming to help with the chores on the ranch for a while, after everything that had happened. In late May, his grandmother got sick and had to go to the hospital. Then one day when Grandpa was going to see her, another car crashed into his. Grandpa wasn't hurt, but the car was totally wrecked. That same week, a pine tree behind the stables had been struck by lightning and burned down.Torin finished brushing Firefly and sent her out to the pasture. He thought about asking Grandpa if he wanted to go horseback riding later that day, but Grandpa always seemed tired from taking care of Grandma, who was home now and in bed most of the time. Grandpa would probably want to go to bed early so he wouldn't be tired at church in the morning. I don't see how they can still trust God after everything that's happened to them, Torin thought. "Care to take a walk?" asked Grandpa after church the next day."Sure," said Torin. As they passed the remains of the tree that had burned, Torin pointed to the ground. "Look! Some of the pine cones don't even look burned."Grandpa picked one up. "That tree was a lodgepole pine," he told Torin. "This kind of cone only opens when it's exposed to a great deal of heat. A fire seems like a bad thing, but there will soon be new trees growing because of it." Grandpa smiled. "Through His marvelous handiwork, God ensures that even a fire will result in something good.""I didn't know God made pine cones like that," said Torin."He sure did." Grandpa handed the pine cone to Torin. "It's been a rough summer for us. Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged, but when I look at these pine cones, I'm comforted. I know God can bring good out of the fiery trials we face. He cares for us, Torin, and He won't let anything we experience go to waste. He can use the hard things that happen in our lives to help us grow to be more like Jesus and remind us of the hope and joy we have in Him."-Linda Weddle