Trees have always been a way that God speaks to me, whether it’s through an actual tree that I see in nature or in a vision. God’s creation of tee’s have been such a huge influence on my life to the point where I got one tattooed on my arm when I was 18.
God has been revealing to me this month a lot of things that I need to let go of while I am on my World Race Journey – some things I have been holding onto for years. I have been saying since before I left for Launch that I can already foresee the things that I am going to be physically letting go of inside my backpack as the Race goes on. Emotionally, God is revealing a lot about the people and the things I truly need to let go of so I can finally step into who He has created me to be and so we can work on our relationship together instead of it always being tainted by the validation of what other people say / think about me.
As I was writing the other night, God clearly gave me the vision of a Cherry Blossom Tree on top of a hill. I saw myself standing beneath the tree looking out over this town of little houses with the windows all lit by light. In the vision, I was thinking about how each house has it’s own story, pain of things that have been experienced. I knew pain was felt within the walls of those homes, pain just like mine. As I was staring out into the valley, feeling the pain of things I needed to let go of, a soft wind began to kiss my cheeks and the Cherry Blossoms began to fall off the tree one by one. The wind carried each petal into the wind and out into the valley. Seeing each petal physically leave the tree was an act of letting go of memories, people, etc… that I need to let go of in order to step into the identity Christ wants me to hold on to for the rest of my life.
The thing about this vision is that not all the petals were let go of all at once, it was a one by one process for me, and I need lots of prayer as I begin to unpack these memories and let the petals fly in the wind to be freed. The surety I felt in this vision was that once the tree is completely naked and bare, there will be so much room for God to help grow new memories and feelings of joy and happiness inside of my being. The letting go process will help me see God in a completely new light. I know that God and I will finally be able to declare our relationship as our own somewhere along the line when the tree is bare of the things that have given me so much pain. The burdens will be gone, the load will be lightened, and Christ will replace it all.
The hardest part is that I am afraid of letting go of these petals because I know it will be painful. But why would anyone want to hold onto something that gives them so much pain? I am still unpacking that, but teammates have given me confirmation that they are sure of the fact that I will be freed from the things inside these cherry blossoms clinging to the tree. They are beautiful parts of my past that have taught me a lot, but it is time to let go and be free.
Please be in prayer about this vision. Pray that it would come to pass and that complete and utter freedom from the petals that have held me back in bondage would fly away gently and sweetly, and when it gets ugly (because I know it will), that I would have the courage to watch each petal fly away and not wish them back.
All my Love,
Ashley
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