Like the rest of Florida, on the afternoon of October 23 we were waiting for Hurricane Wilma, because in spite of being north of the projected path, we still didn’t know the extent to which it would affect us in Gainesville.
Now here at the Cenacle we have a ragged row of golden rain trees along the east side of our house. As you may know, rain trees are considered an invasive species in Florida, and if you have one, you’re likely to have a whole grove of them. Anyhow, one of these golden rain trees had been scraping the second floor roof and the wood just under the roof with every breeze, making an eerie screech; so I went outside late in the afternoon to see if I could cut it down before the storm hit. It was a little late to be thinking about it, I admit, but I was afraid it would damage the house if we had any strong gusts of wind. After a brief inspection, I decided that I could not manage it.
However, when I said that to Sister Elizabeth, she convinced me that it really needed to come down, even though by that time, there wasn’t much light left. So docile creature that I am (please do not tell my community that I am calling myself docile), I got the saw and proceeded to work on the tree, with Sister Elizabeth coaching. It was tall, but not very thick. I notched it hoping it would fall away from the house and between the other trees.
Unfortunately, I failed to take into consideration that all the branches were on the house side of the tree. So the entire weight of the tree was inclining it to fall toward the house.
After it was sufficiently sawed, I went in the house to find a rope to pull it down. At first I could find only an old electrical cord, which I wrapped around the trunk of the tree and pulled. That did not work. Finally I found a rope, looped it around the tree, and began to tug. I tugged and tugged and made no headway. Finally it did budge a bit, but as it budged, it simply leaned more and more toward the house.
Night was upon us, a storm was approaching, and a tree almost detached from its base was now leaning on the house near some large second-floor windows. I realized there was nothing more I could do. Sister Elizabeth, who had gotten me into this in the first place, started praying seriously; then she called the neighbors across the street – who weren’t home.
So outside we went again, and I tugged futilely at the tree some more and swatted mosquitoes in between tugs. About this time, we saw our neighbor’s car pulling up to her house, and Sister Elizabeth called out to her. As soon as she had picked up her husband from somewhere or other, they both came over.
She and I tugged together on the rope, while he twisted the tree away from the house, and finally it came down without landing either on the house or on us. There was great relief on all sides, as well as gratitude, both to our good neighbors and to God.
We began calling this episode Wilma’s folly, because we didn’t want to call it what it really was, which was Rose and Elizabeth’s folly. God’s grace was certainly present with us in our foolishness, and palpably in the help of our good neighbors. But what if our prayer had not been so visibly answered? Would we still be able to hear God say, “My power is made perfect in weakness,” if the tree had come through the bedroom window?
What about matters that are more serious: a grave illness or a job loss, for example? What if Wilma had come roaring through North Florida and inflicted the kind of damage here that it did farther south? Or what if the tree had come down on my head? Would I still be confident that God’s grace is sufficient?
O God, may I trust every moment that your power is working in me when I am weak and vulnerable and afraid. For when all is said and done, even amid sorrow or disaster or the rubble of my own failures, you are still God, and I am safe in your everlasting arms.
‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’
So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)