Bend, Don’t Break

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time. Buckle up!You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Imagine a peaceful valley in Colombia where towering palm trees stretch high into the sky like nature's skyscrapers. That’s where Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are headed. They’re going to show us that with God’s help, we can bend but not break when the storms of life come.

In season 14, “Flourishing Forests,” we’re learning that we can grow through every challenge. In other words, we can flourish. Not by ourselves, but through the power of God’s Word. One place where we find lessons about how to flourish is Psalm 92. 

In fact, I hope you’re walking and memorizing Psalm 92 with your mom! You can tackle the whole chapter or just memorize the verses we’ll study in this season of the True Girl podcast. That’s Psalm 92:12–15. Let me read them to you: 

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
   they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
   they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
   he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Okay, True Girl. Here’s episode 2 of season 14. We’re calling it, “Bend, Don’t Break.” 

Staci Rudolph: “You'll start your day with some beautiful views from the Salento lookout, and a look down into the valley you will soon venture through.”

Well, we did that. It was nice!

“Next, you'll take a trip into the lush Cocora Valley for a self-guided tour of the Wax Palm Forest. This valley is spectacular by itself, but when combined with the forest filled with the tallest wax palms in the world, it becomes an amazing experience. You'll get to spend a few hours walking through this peaceful zone with more beautiful views in every direction.”

Dannah Gresh: Uhm, Staci, stop reading about the tour and look up to enjoy it!

Staci: What? Oh, we’re here?!

Dannah: We’re here. 

Driver: Aquí comienza su recorrido. Las recojo al final del camino. Síganlo.

Dannah: Uhm, no comprendo!

Driver: Si! Walking hike start here! Por favor . . . walk to end. I see you there. 

Dannah: Gracias. 

Driver: No saben ni papa de nada.

Dannah: Did he just say something about potatoes?

Staci: I think so. I know how to say french fries in Spanish—papas fritas! He definitely said potato. Ya know, he’s been a bit grumpy the whole drive.

Dannah: Ahh! So, this is the Wax Palm Forest!

Staci: Will ya look at that? I had no idea palm trees could get so tall! I read that these specific palm trees can grow to be 200 feet tall. That’s as big as a twenty-story building, Dannah Gresh!

Dannah: Yeah! That’s tall!

Staci: Ya know, I’d hate to hafta climb that thing for a coconut!

Dannah: Oh, these palm trees don’t make coconuts. In fact, most palm trees don’t. 

Staci: Okay, I didn’t read that in any of my tour books.

Dannah: Let’s start walking.

Staci: Do these palm trees have another fruit? 

Hey, maybe they grow potatoes.

Dannah: No to potatoes. But yes, they have fruit. It’s very bitter! 

And, of course, that fruit is waaaaaayy up there in the fronds—that’s what you call the leaves of palm trees.

Staci: Oh, I know! That reminds me. Hey, Dannah, do you know why palm trees never get lonely?

Dannah: Uhm?

Staci: They always have lots of fronds! Get it? Fronds!? Lots of fronds, like friends!

Dannah: Ha, ha. Okay, let’s stop at this one.

Staci: Sure is tall!

Dannah: Hey, have you started memorizing Psalm 92 . . . and walking? 

Staci: I’m taking the Holy Girl Walk short course. I’m memorizing just verses 12–15. 

Dannah: Excellent. You do the short course. I’m working on memorizing the whole chapter. Either way is totally okay. I’m glad we’re each doing it differently.

Can you say verse 12?

Staci: Ah, why do you gotta put me on the spot like that?!

Dannah: Be patient with your brain. Just think. It always takes me some time to find a Bible verse in my noggin. But they’re in there! Just concentrate.

Staci: Oh, I got it! 

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Dannah: Perfect! And let’s review our biblical definition of flourish?

Staci: I do remember that! 

“Flourish: to grow even in the harshest of circumstances so that other people can see God’s glory in our lives.” 

For us that means that when life gets harsh, or the storms of life come—like your brother gets super sick and your life changes, or you’re having trouble making friends after a big move, or your mom or dad lose their job, just to name a few really harsh things—well, there in those unfavorable places, you can still flourish!

Dannah: Yes, exactly! And we can flourish like what?

Staci: A palm tree!

Dannah: Let’s sit down and look at this giant. Let’s study it and consider what did God want us to learn about palm trees so we could learn to flourish?

While you just gaze at that tree, let me tell you a few things I learned as I studied Psalm 92:12. 

First of all, the original readers of the Bible were Middle Easterners who lived in farming communities. So, God often inspired the writers of the Bible to use object lessons that were familiar—things like palm trees which grow yummy yellow fruits. Since the earliest records of human history, the date palm tree has grown in the Middle East. In fact, it’s been a symbol of life and prosperity. 

I learned that the Bible mentions palm trees thirty times! My point is: the people who first read these words “the righteous flourish like palm trees” would have been familiar with a palm tree. And so, to understand this verse the way they did, one thing we can do is become familiar with the palm tree, too. 

Staci: Well, I’m looking at this one and thinking, That sure is a super big ball of roots. I mean, just look at all of them. They reach out so far from the trunk of the tree. Looks like one of those rubber band balls. A lot is goin’ on! 

Ya know, my tourist booklet says the roots of these palm trees are so strong that they could grow up through concrete.

Dannah: That’s pretty strong!

Hmm, I wonder why God made the roots that way?

Staci: Oh, that’s easy. Storms! Palm trees grow in parts of the world with severe tropical storms and hurricanes . . . or sand storms in the Middle East. For the trees to survive these occasional harsh conditions, palms have to be particularly flexible and resilient. 

You ever watch videos of the Weather Channel during a hurricane?

Dannah: Oh, yeah!

Staci: The winds knock down reporters and send all kinds of debris flying. But check out the palm trees in the background next time. 

They are just all cool—leaning with the wind as their branches fold up like an umbrella. 

But the other trees . . . they’re toppling over and losing branches left and right.

Palms bend. They don’t break!

Dannah: That’s it! That’s it!  God wants us to be able to bend but not break when the storms of life come. It’s not like we should ignore the storm. We bend with it, but we don’t break!

Staci: Hmm. Okay, that’s good. But what’s that look like in our real lives, Dannah?

Dannah: Well, before we go there, let’s ask, “What kind of people flourish?”

Staci: “The righteous flourish like palm trees.”

Dannah: The righteous! 

Righteousness is the condition of flourishing. That means doing what is right according to God's standards. It means to be holy in God’s sight. It's about living in a way that honors and pleases God. 

In the Bible, righteousness means following God's commandments—being honest, kind, and fair, and making wise choices. God wants us to love Him and love other people. When we do this, we're living righteously.

And then, when the storms come . . .

Staci: What was that?

Dannah: I believe that was . . .

Staci: Thunder! Yeah, I know, it was a rhetorical question, my friend. You know about those, don’t you?

Dannah: Yeah. I think this is just going to be a gentle rain, Staci. Don’t worry. 

Staci: I sure hope so! I’m on vacation.

Dannah: But check it out. With just that little wind, the trees are bending. We need to learn to bend and remain standing like a palm tree.

Too many people are so brittle when the storms come. Instead of flexing like a palm, these people spread themselves out like sails to catch every bit of the storm. Maybe they don’t slow down to care for others when bad things happen. Or they get easily offended when conflict arises. Or they just give up and don’t grip onto the soil of God’s Word like those magnificent palm tree roots do if the storm gets severe. At the slightest gust of wind, they start losing branches left and right. 

Staci: Well, I guess the weather report was only slightly off. They said 'chance of showers,' not 'prepare to definitely build an ark!'

Dannah: The ark . . . that’s a great example of flourishing! I mean, a worldwide flood!

Staci: To destroy all the evil in the world. Not ideal circumstances.

Dannah: No! But Noah . . .

Staci: . . . who the Bible says was righteous!

Dannah: Yes! He bent and flexed with the news. He built a boat and got into it. Major life changes. That’s bending. That’s what it looks like in real life. That’s it! 

When the storms come, we need to be willing to bend and be flexible.

Staci: So, like when your dad gets a new job after losing his, you support him in moving to a different state, even though it means missing your friends.

Dannah: Yeah!

Staci: Oh. Or when your birthday party camping trip gets canceled because of a literal storm forecast, you are content with popping a tent in the basement and making some s’mores in the microwave.

Dannah: Ok, that’s kind of a mini-storm. But, I guess so.

Staci: Then how about this one, it’s a hard one. You give up two weeks at your favorite summer camp to stay home and away from germs when your little brother is fighting cancer. Cuz you can’t bring sickness home when his immune system is all compromised like that. And even though it’s a bummer, you do it.

Dannah: Wow! That is a hard one! 

Those are great examples, Staci! That’s how righteous people bend without breaking. 

None of those things are easy . . . not even the birthday party! Life is full of trials, conflicts, unpleasant surprises, and, as you say, “bummers.” 

Ya know. I think bending probably includes doing it without us making them worse by insisting on our way or getting angry in the middle of them! Sometimes the most resilient thing to do is to bend happily!

In fact, you know what? I’m feeling convicted!

Staci: You are?

Dannah: Yeah, I think sometimes when the storms come, I get grumpy instead of bendy.

Staci: Ah, Dannah, me too, sometimes.

Dannah: I complain. I whine. I want my own way. And then, like an unbendable tree in a storm, I snap!

Staci: I feel ya. I feel ya! Well, how about this: the next time you have a mini-storm—like that birthday party example I gave—think of it as practice for the big storms of life. Ask God for a heart to be bendy!

Driver: ¡Vengan! ¡Rápido! Viene la lluvia! Mucha agua. Mucha agua. Water coming!

Staci: Hey! Is that our driver waving those umbrellas at us?

Driver: ¡Hola! Vamos. ¡Corran al camión por favor. Ay, americanos locos!

Staci: Did he just call us crazy Americans?

Dannah: Si!

Staci: Well, let’s practice bending! Come on! Here’s your mini-storm!

Claire: Wow, I’m glad Staci and Dannah were nice to that kinda grumpy tour driver in Colombia. It was a great reminder that righteous people flourish by bending instead of breaking! 

I hope you’ll practice bending like a palm tree when life throws storms your way. Who knows, changes in your birthday plans or rainy days on a vacation just might be how God lets you practice for much bigger storms in your life. 

Another thing that helps you prepare for the storms of life is memorizing God’s Word. Are you joining us for the mom-daughter Holy Girl Walk? You just walk together and memorize Scripture. We hope you’ll memorize Psalm 92. Or you can do what Staci’s doing and take the “short course,” just memorize Psalm 92:12–15. Those are the verses we’re talking about in this season of the True Girl Podcast. Learn more about the Holy Girl Walk Bible memory challenge at MyTrueGirl.com.

When you visit the website, check out the True Girl Pop-Up Party happening November 1–2 at the Museum of the Bible. Dannah and Staci are both going to be there, along with other True Girl teachers. That’s in Washington, D.C., and I hope you can join us!

Next week, we’re going to try to solve a great mystery. The majestic cedar tree forest of Lebanon mentioned in Psalm 92 is considered a vanished forest. What happened to those trees? Are they still flourishing somewhere? And what does God want us to learn about our own flourishing from this seemingly stripped forest? That’s on the next episode of this season, “Flourishing Forests.” 

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness!

All Scripture is taken from the ESV.
 

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