👑 Scroll of the Crown: The Curious Case of the Evergreen Tree

There once was a man named Elias who longed for something eternal.

Not riches. Not praise.

But a symbol of life that wouldn’t fade when the seasons turned harsh.

He found that symbol in an evergreen, a tree known for standing green even in the coldest winters.

With joy, he planted it in his garden, imagining what it would become.

But over time, the needles browned. The branches sagged.

The life he had hoped to protect seemed to wither before his eyes.

Disheartened, he returned to the nursery where he bought it.

The old man there, wise and patient, offered to come see for himself.

Kneeling beside the tree, he dug gently around its roots.

“It’s not dead,” he said. “You planted it on the wrong side.”

One side was failing. But the other? Still green. Still alive.

So they turned it, just enough to let the light hit what was still growing.

And slowly… it came back.

🪞 Crown Mirror Reflection

1. Have I mistaken fading for failure?

2. What in me still holds green, even if no one sees it yet?

3. Am I willing to rotate, not abandon, what I planted?

📖 Scripture Reflections

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

— 1 Peter 5:7

You’ve been carrying the weight of what you can’t control. But just because it’s in your hands doesn’t mean it belongs there. The tree wasn’t yours to fix, it was yours to trust.

“If you’re going to worry, don’t pray. If you’re going to pray, don’t worry.”

— Spoken wisdom, rooted in Philippians 4:6–7

Let prayer be your posture, not panic. Stillness reveals what striving hides.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

— Psalm 23:1

Sometimes what feels like the absence of growth is really just protection in process. Lack isn’t always loss, it might be provision disguised as pause.

“Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.”

— Song of Solomon 8:7

Love doesn’t rot in winter. It roots deeper. And even when only one side looks alive, covenant love waits for the turn of light.

“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

— 1 Corinthians 13:13

That love? It’s not performance. It’s presence. And it never stops being true, even when it’s quiet.

“The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit…”

— James 3:17

You’re not being weak for showing restraint. You’re being wise. Heaven’s wisdom doesn’t scream, it steadies.

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

— James 1:26

There’s power in silence when it’s chosen. When your words become few, your posture becomes louder.

🕊 Final Whisper: The Light Is Still There

Sometimes we give up too soon, because something looked dead on the side we were staring at.

But the truth is, not everything needs to be thrown away. Some things just need light from a new direction.

You don’t have to perform for it. You don’t have to force it.

But you do have to stop staring at the part that stopped growing.

There are still roots in you that haven’t given up.

Still places where God’s hand is holding strong beneath the surface.

Maybe the loss wasn’t a death.

Maybe it was a rotation.

Sometimes the most sacred growth happens in the shadows.

Sometimes love doesn’t die, it just grows in a direction you haven’t turned toward yet.

And sometimes the thing you thought was over…

was just waiting for the light to hit the right side.

Let the light find it.

Let the truth find you.

Because what God planted doesn’t die, it just waits to be seen again.

👑