I Want to be a Tree!

I just love trees. I love to look at them, watch them sway in the wind, smell the pine trees and the cedar trees, and when I was a child, I loved to climb in them. I enjoy God's nature so much when I am on my run. As I went for my run the other day, I was looking at all the trees. They are so beautiful........no matter the season! In the summer they are full and green and so full of life. In the spring they are just beginning to bud, just beginning to show new life. In the fall, they are brilliantly colored, absolutely radiant! And, yes, even the winter, I have to say they make me smile. Their leaves are gone, and you might even think that all life is gone. But I notice their strength. True, their leaves are gone, but that's when you can truly see their branches. Their strength as they quietly stand there, is seen in massive display. Nothing can be hidden, you see the tree for what it truly is. The leaves aren't there to hide any flaws. There's no fruit hanging to distract you from looking at the tree.

The Bible mentions trees many times, and in many ways. Job 14:7, "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch therof will not cease." Psalm 1:3, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" God is saying here that if we delight in His law, and meditate in it that we will be as that tree. Jeremiah 17:8, "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Now there are many teachings found in that verse alone!

I could go on and on, but here is my point. No matter the season, the tree is there. It adapts for the cold as well as the heat. Just when you think its dead, the warm days come again, and the tree starts to bloom. The roots that we cannot see, they run deep, they travel to find water so that they can live! I want to be a TREE!! I want to keep my roots in that everlasting water, so I can bloom for Christ! I want to stand strong, no matter what is going on around me! I want to adapt, and be what I need to be for Christ, whether it's blooming in spring, green and full for summer, radiant and glowing for autumn, or bear, but holding strong during my winters! I want to be a shelter for someone, help someone, in need that may be out in the 'heat' of this old world!

I want God to 'prune' me, so that I can grow for Him, so I can be the best 'tree' I can be for Him! A tree also helps oxygenate the atmosphere. So can we, as 'christian trees'. Think about it......if our roots run deep and are in the 'water' (God's Word), then our branches will bring forth fruit, we will be exactly what we need to be, no matter the season.....and by doing this, Christ Himself is seen through us.......we will 'oxygenate' this dark world with Christ's light.

I could go on and on, about all the different kinds of trees, the fruit bearing, the oaks, the pines, the evergreens, there is so much that can be taught. I'll let you study all of that, let you find what nuggets God has for you. But, aren't you glad there are so many different kinds of trees? We have them to use in different ways, and then just the point of looking at the beauty of the different trees. Aren't you glad that we are like that, too? We are all christians, but yet we are all different, with different talents and uses for Christ. What kind of tree are you?........and most importantly, are you a christian? Are your roots founded in that everlasting water? That is the only way that you can ever bloom to your maximum ability, that is the only way you can ensure that your tree won't wilt or even die! So next time you are outdoors, notice the trees, and thank God that even a tree, can teach us to be a better christian!