Lessons from hurricanes

Nature can teach us so many beautiful lessons.

Last weekend, Hurricane Delta swept across Louisiana, and like Laura, she left me with a lot of work to do. As I was picking up the limbs that had fallen out of my mighty oaks, I noticed some of the limbs were old and dead while others were fragile and would have never reached maturity.

The tropical winds pruned the oaks and helped them shed what could have prevented them from achieving new growth. Delta taught me that nature prunes herself much like God prunes us.

Pruning can be a painful process, but to attain spiritual growth, we must let go of our old, immature selves and reach for God who will be with us to navigate the storm.

— Lindy Brasher is  is a youth minister from Monroe, La. who recently earned a Master's in Religious Education from Loyola University in New Orleans. She's now working on a Master's in Spirituality at Fordham University and one day hopes to pursue a Doctorate of Ministry. She enjoys helping her students care for the poor and vulnerable members of creation as she teaches them the importance of caring for our common home.