If you know where I live you know I love trees. I didn’t realize when we set them out they would grow so tall and stately. Our trees have become welcome friends, an oasis in the midst of life’s storms.

             I’ve learned many lessons from my trees. I well remember cutting down a tree that I thought was dead. Its branches were brittle and its ugly brown foliage became unsightly. After cutting the tree down, I noticed tiny green buds at the base of the tree. I had given up too soon. That tree taught me “It’s always too soon to quit!” With God all things are possible. Just when everything looks hopeless, God brings signs of renewal, of hope and that shows me “buds of life” that encourages all of us to keep going.

            I have learned it takes a long time to grow a tree, but only minutes to cut it down. I can do the same thing in my relationships with others, and I do it with my tongue. James 3:5 compares wrong words to a great forest fire. My tongue can do damage to the extent that even if I apologize later, the scars remain.

            A tree requires care for its well-being. It is the same for me in my spiritual life. Studying and meditating on God’s Word produces spiritual health and nourishment for  my every day living. God’s Word is a “lamp unto my feet and a light for my pathway” (Psalm 119:105).

            “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). If I produce bad fruit, I will bring grief and heartache to those I love. I must remember as long as I am growing, I am fresh and green, but if I stop growing, I could become rotten. “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:14).

            Wood from trees provides shelter. During the Feat of Tabernacles, God’s people lived in booths made of branches from trees. This reminded them of God’s rescue from Egypt and how they lived in booths in the desert. They were to remember God’s protection and deliverance.

            Every night I thank God for shelter… my bed and the roof over my head. Thinking back over my life I can see God’s mighty hand of protection and deliverance also. Remembering where I came from and where he has brought me today brings untold gratitude.

            I love the beautiful birds our trees attract. They have taught me lessons too. Amy Carmichael has been quoted as say, “A bird does not sing because it has an answer, but because it has a song.” You and I must never lose our song. Singing in the darkest storm soothes our pain and restores our soul.

            Ecclesiastes 11:3 presents an unforgettable truth. “Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.” (NIV) This tells me that at the point my life ends, I have forever sealed my destiny. There are no second chances.

            Isaiah 26:10 is one of many encouraging words about a believer’s future. “But your dead will live, their bodies will rise. You, who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning, the earth will give birth to her dead.”

            The most important tree of all is the “Tree of Life.” Revelation paints a beautiful picture of those who will live with God forever…where there is no more death or decay, no tears or sorrow, no heartaches or pain.

My grandmother used to sing about heaven as she watered her trees. Maybe that’s why I love trees. I want to eat the fruit of the “Tree of Life” and live forever.

You come too!