Ahuof3 dua (beautiful tree)
I am Ghanaian, Ashanti to be precise, and in my local dialect, a beautiful woman is usually called ‘ahuof3 dua’. It literally means ‘beautiful tree’, which I always found humorous until recently.
Being the partly melancholic person I am, I love to stare out the window during a bus ride and on a recent one, I couldn’t help but notice the rich resources of vegetation along the stretch of the Kumasi / Accra highway. The greenery is unavoidable and although I had never been a fan of agriculture in and out of school, I couldn’t help but notice the diversity in the many kinds of trees and plants. In all sizes, colors and shapes, some with many leaves, others none. I thought to myself, “that is one creative God”.
I marveled at the specificity in the uniqueness of every kind of tree, even if they were of the same species. Their differences combined into a beautiful green picture that made you fall in love with nature just a little.
I noticed, however, that no matter how tall, thick or full of leaves a tree was, its stem had been through life okayyy! Lol. None of them had really nice barks, marks embedded, twisted and turned to form crooked structures, remains of broken off branches forming stumps, let’s just say the beauty of the tree was in its leaves.
The resemblance to our human life amused me. How similar we are! It seems to me, that every fruitful life has been through some challenges, and the beauty was to be seen only if they withstood and grew past those challenges.
Then my mind drifted unto the unseen parts of these beautiful edifices of nature. I thought about the roots; deeply embedded in deep, dark, soil naked to the visible eye. I wondered about the transformation the tree had to have been through.
Science tells us of the extensive root system of the bamboo tree. Very fascinating I find it, that it reaches far and wide for a strong nutrient base. My point is most of the work done in our lives is unseen. Often a slow, patient process, God works on extending our root system, making sure our foundations are right. Strengthened. Solid.
Dear YMC, you will never be a seed again.
You once were, in your mother’s womb, but when you left that comfort zone and cried out your anguish, you were planted. Many of us were planted in wrong environments, where we unconsciously developed roots in wrong soils; attitudes, thoughts, habits, fears we picked up. We may not have encountered Jesus early enough and may have even sprouted a full tree. But Christ is a new kind of seed. Incorruptible.
1 Peter 1:23
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
And when we hand over our lives to Him, the process begins.
More than an agricultural principle, the spiritual principle dictates that for a seed to grow it has to die. Given off to the soil and covered. That’s where the work begins, God places you in a different kind of soil but the process is the same.
Depending on the kind of tree He wants you to be, He takes His time to make sure you draw all the nutrients you need. When you begin to sprout, life attacks you; leaving you with marks, and destroying the beauty of your bark. But that’s not the end. You have to keep growing. The beauty is in the leaves, the overall function is to attract glory to God. And He knows what He is doing.
Never mind what your story has been so far, never mind how awful your roots look like, never mind the pace at which you are growing. God has a plan and purpose for you and you matter.
Jer 29:11
‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peach, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’
The overall beauty of these individual plants made me give God glory. I believe it is the same way your role in the body of Christ is so vital, because it contributes to the total glory of the Church.
Dear YMC, not all trees look alike but they all serve a purpose. Roots are not pretty, they always have mud attached to it, but it gives it nutrients.
When you see a beautiful tree with beautiful leaves, watch carefully, some parts have been uprooted, pruned and broken. The barks are not pretty but the leaves bring beauty and attract others to glorify God.
If you have been planted by God, everything will beat you into the leaves you are supposed to produce, into the beauty you are meant to portray.
And if now you don’t look like any other around you, be still. He’s building you into His Ahuof3 dua. He found you worthy.
~ sheyla ~
(p.s this was inspired by the life of a dear friend. I love you Ruth. He found you worthy indeed. )