Four years ago my mom gave us a gift, a gift which started a tradition. She gave us a plain jar bearing a simple label which said, “Blessings 2017.” The best part of the gift was her challenge. “Every time the Lord blesses you, write it down and put it in the jar.” We started doing that.

While the Ark was probably one of the most difficult experiences in Noah’s long life, it was also the place of his greatest blessing. He was saved in the ark. He escaped the destruction of everything around him. Had it not been for the ark, Noah would have been destroyed. He would have been overtaken by the flood. The flood impacted him, but because of the ark it did not break him.

Mark 11 is considered by some to be one of the most perplexing passages of Scripture in the Gospels. In it, Jesus performs the only miracle of destruction to be found in His ministry. He curses the fig tree and causes it to wither “from the roots up.” Just reading through the passage, you cringe a little at Jesus’ actions. It seems that He is unjustly angry and cursing an innocent tree that is simply existing as He created it. Why would He destroy a perfectly good tree?