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| A Heffalump |
Welcome to Post #1! If this was being written by A.A. Milne (author of Winnie-the-Pooh), it might be titled something like “In Which The Author Thinks on Trees and We Learn the Meaning of the Blog Title.” I love A.A. Milne. He created the word “Heffalump.” I think that speaks for itself.
So why call my blog “Being a Tree” when trees comprise zero percentage of internet users as far as we know? To capture your interest, I will begin my explanation with a somewhat-relevant story.
When I was in 3rd grade, our class did projects on the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer:
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
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| "Pink Trees" by The Artist Formerly Known as a Third Grader |
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”
As an 8-year-old, I don’t think I connected deeply to the poem, since it wasn’t written by Shel Silverstein or illustrated by Lisa Frank. My experience probably consisted of painting watercolor images of trees and listening to the boys giggle and stumble over the word “breast” and sputter even more upon learning the meaning of the word “bosom.” Step aside, Hustler; 3rd Grade Language Arts is coming into town.
The funny thing is, I couldn’t for the life of me tell you anything else I read that year. But I remember this poem. It turned out to be an oracle for me because, 15 years later, trees have become my favorite metaphor. The reason is simple: I love the idea of being a tree.
Now this may sound insane to you. I’m not a tree-hugger, per se, or a Narnian wood nymph. But I’ve discovered that being a tree is Biblical. Trees have been significant since the Beginning when the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil gave man that pivotal choice between life with God and the death that comes with sin.
But my love of trees really began with Psalm 1:
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
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| Epic Tree! |
This makes me want to declare an impromptu Arbor Day. How awesome to be a tree! I love thinking about what this metaphor says about life with God when we delight in Him and root ourselves in His ways…
A follower of God is “a tree planted by streams of water.”
Water is essential to life, just like chocolate is essential after a meal made of anything other than chocolate. In this verse, the tree has everything it needs to sustain it. Likewise, when we’re rooted in God, we’re rooted right into the source of life. We’re not camels* in the desert, searching for meager drops to quench the thirst, but rather trees drinking from the streams of unlimited blessing, the gifts of God’s grace.
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| "I'm a camel. I like Baal." |
(*Sad side note for dromedary-lovers: The one time the Bible compares people to camels, it refers to those who leave the Lord to chase after idols. #camelfail!)
We “yield… fruit in season.”
So much more than a food group, in the Bible, “fruit” often means good character or the good results that come from honoring God in your life. Example: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
God’s law refines our character, so that we begin to exhibit these virtues. And more importantly, we can use these new attributes to bless others! Especially in L.A.
We are trees “whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.”
Man, oh man, is this a gargantuan promise. “Whatever they do prospers.” Seriously? I start to think of all the times I felt like I was floundering, bumbling, tripping, collapsing, ricocheting into disaster… every possible opposite of prospering. But then it occurs to me, “During those times of failure, was I really following God and relying on His strength? And even more, was I defining ‘prospering’ by whatever I wanted at that particular moment, or was I searching after the things I knew God would want me to?” Whoopsy-daisy.
Following the Lord isn't easy like finding a Starbucks in L.A. But we have our God, Creator of All Things, to help us run the race set before us. When you choose His ways, He redirects your goals, and He helps you achieve them. Fear of failure goes right out the window. For a naturally neurotic and perfectionistic person like me, this provides a huge breath of relief. Like realizing the Prius being towed from the permit-only zone is not your Prius. Deep exhale, followed by prayers for the guy with the unfortunate parking choice.
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| Mucho Agua = Happy Tree |
But now we're down to the slap-in-the-face ending of the Psalm: The fate of the wicked. Nowadays, “wicked” probably just makes us think of evil Disney witches with warts on their noses. Or Elphaba. But wicked can be simply defined as “against God” who is all things Good.
The psalm says the wicked are "l ike chaff that the wind blows away." Now I’m not gonna lie. I had no idea what “chaff” was the first time I read this. So I went to my secondary source-of-all-knowledge: Wikipedia. Apparently, chaff is “the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain.” It’s inedible for humans, but is used “as livestock fodder” or as “waste material ploughed into the soil or burnt.” Yikes.
The Bible is not one for kid gloves: If you’re against God, your life is slowly being wasted, and your path is set towards destruction. It’s Michael Corleone at the end of The Godfather. The reason is simple: God is the source of life, of all things good. Imagine a tree ripping its own roots out of the ground and moving as far away from the streams of water as it can. Rejecting the blessings that God is freely offering. Choosing death.
Even believers often act like the chaff. Turning away, letting our faith dry up, not drinking of the good water even though it’s right at our fingertips. It’s a daily choice to delight in the Law of the Lord and to follow what He tells us.
Some days, many days, I act like the chaff. I seek out my own destruction in subtle ways I don’t even realize until the consequences have snuck up to bite me like a rabid raccoon. And dear friends, believe me, you really don’t want to be bit by a rabid raccoon. But God forgives without limit. He invites us to receive of His blessings regardless of who we are and what we’ve done. God wants us to be a beautiful orchard of His healthy, flourishing trees.
Some days, many days, I act like the chaff. I seek out my own destruction in subtle ways I don’t even realize until the consequences have snuck up to bite me like a rabid raccoon. And dear friends, believe me, you really don’t want to be bit by a rabid raccoon. But God forgives without limit. He invites us to receive of His blessings regardless of who we are and what we’ve done. God wants us to be a beautiful orchard of His healthy, flourishing trees.
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| Purple tree: Clearly created for Princess tree-houses |
In Los Angeles
I think it's an ambitious enough goal to spend a lifetime seeking: I really want to be a Tree.
For more fun tree Scripture, see Jeremiah 17:7-8 (also quoted at the top of this blog).
