The wind was howling through the trees as white fluffy clouds disappeared behind them and dark gray clouds took their place. A storm was getting ready to blow through the valley and a couple of eagles soared above gliding on the wind. It looked as if they were dancing gracefully in the heavens.
I looked around watching the trees sway back and forth to make sure none looked like they would fall. I walked closer to the tree line and started to wonder how many storms did the dead trees withstand before they ended up on the ground? How old were they when they started to weaken and crack from the inside? When will the final seam break in the ones still standing?
In that moment I realized our bodies have a lot in common with the trees. We come from the earth, we grow on the earth, and we go back to the earth. How many storms do we get to withstand before our bodies break down and go back to the ground? How old will we be before we start weakening and cracking from the inside? Our physical bodies will die just like the trees on the ground but for those of us who believe in Jesus, our spirits will grow like a spiritual tree.
The more we focus on God the more our spiritual trees receive his light to grow. Our roots soak in the living water and reach down in his rich fertile ground. We will grow thick leaves to shelter others from searing pain inflicted by the world. We will also shed the leaves for a season to grow even more in the next. We will produce either sweet or sour fruit to give to each person we meet, the choice is ours. The growth of the body will stop but the growth of the spirit will continue into eternity.Â
We are like the trees different in every way, here with a different purpose, yet together make the world more beautiful. Different types of trees produced different types of fruits, different strengths and densities and provide for different structures.
How will you spend each season of your life? What kind of fruit will you bear? How will you use the differences God gave you to glorify him?
Our roots are all connected through him in his fertile ground. Be rooted in his word everyday and water those roots with your faith. We must first grow our roots down before our limbs can grow up to reach heaven.
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."
Revelation 22:1-2 NIV