The Papaya Tree

I opened my kitchen windows today and was shocked at how close to the kitchen a papaya tree has grown at the little patch of soil I have for my screwpine leaves. It's a healthy looking tree, and it has begun to bear fruits.

I don't know how fast these trees grow, but it's interesting to see it, it's beautiful! Truth is, I have no idea how the papaya seed got there in the first place. No one throws things out of the window from my kitchen, and it's definitely too far off for the neighbours to randomly chuck a seed over to my house! Must be some tropical little bird that carries seeds have dropped it there? An Asianised form adapted from the Biblical one: "A dove carrying an olive branch".

Anyway, I stood at the sink, looking out of the window in awe, and wondered. I was thinking how hardy and resilient papaya seeds are, being able to survive in that little patch of soil. Somehow, that sad sod of soil could still help the tree to flourish, let alone struggled under the extreme weather ranging from rainy to dry spells over the weeks and months. It takes looking at things like that with my naked eyes to believe that bit of soil and moody weather could help a papaya tree to grow and bear fruits!

This made me think of our lives. Like the healthy-looking & fruit-bearing papaya tree outside my kitchen in spite of the hard environment, it still grew! From this, it reminded me how we all grow from trials, and how we can wilt and dry up because of them. We can be inspired to consider facing our trials with joy by trusting and having faith in God. The testing of our faith certainly develops perseverance and maturity.

As we trust God in all the trials we go through, even when we cannot comprehend 'why?'... His ever-flowing divine providence gives us strength to face trials. Facing trials and overcoming them prepare us for better lives in future, and be better persons. Isn't that something beautiful?