but he laughed to himself in disbelief.
'How could I become a father at the age of
100?' he thought. 'And how can Sarah have
a baby when she is ninety years old?'"
(Genesis 17:17 NLT)
Many years ago, a friend at work was getting rid of a small, scrawny looking umbrella plant that had sat on her desk without sign of growth for so long it had become the butt of many a joke. I asked if I could have it, and took it home to a sunny spot on the carpet next to a floor-to-ceiling window in my living room. 
It soon started to thrive and grow, and by the time I was ready to move, it was taller than the bookcase. A friend whose car had a sunroof helped transport it to my new apartment.
Once there, I put it in a bigger pot which I sat in the corner of my dining area, right under a little still life hanging on the wall. It fit perfectly, and gave the room a designer look.
As you can see, though, it eventually grew so tall, I had to tack it to the wall to keep the pot from tipping over as the branches stretched out to greet the morning sun. One of them covered the painting, and when a neighbor asked for a cutting, I lopped it off for her.
A few months later a tiny stub appeared, and I wondered if it would grow into another branch. It hasn't so far. Though I've followed its progress with curious anticipation, it's only gotten a couple of inches longer in all the years since.
But then suddenly, when I least expected it, something amazing happened. Something I've never seen before. A tiny bud breaking through the bark of this old tree--and soon after that, a second one, further along the same branch. 
What a great reminder that it's never too late for new beginnings, or for things to be turned around. What may seem like an impossibility in our natural realm, is never impossible with God.
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