THE OLD MAPLE TREE

Today was a day that was different from other days. Last year we put an above ground pool in our backyard. This pool is not used by me for pleasure. I only have time to clean it and exercise. Since I had my neck surgery in March I make sure that I spend at least 20 to 30 minutes everyday doing my exercises. I have been working so intently on getting the book I am writing completed and proofed that I felt I needed some time off. Some time to lay back and relax. I figured the perfect place for this would be outside in the pool.

As I was lying there on the floaty, I looked up and seen the large maple tree in my back yard. Have you ever noticed how they grow so upright and tall? To me an maple tree is a perfect picture of strength. Why does a tree grow upward? Why does grass grow upward? Why do flowers and plants grow upward? If all of creation has a tendency to reach toward the heavens, why do us humans have a tendency to reach toward things that bog us down?  We constantly go around looking down, looking for the negative or looking back at what happened to us. We would be wise to learn from creation and reach toward heaven to the “SON”, the giver of light, the only one that can sustain us.

I also noticed how wonderfully full of green leaves it was. Leaves blowing in the wind, leaves that were dark hunter green, and some of the leaves a lighter green. Then there were a few leaves that had brown tips and starting to turn different colors. As I scanned the tree I seen a couple branches that looked like a storm had come along and broken the branches off. These branches never again produced leaves. The leaves that was once on the branch, now had dried up and fallen off. The branch itself was ugly and just sticking out in an awkward way.

In order to help the tree, these branches need to be cut back. If someone will come along and trim the old damaged branches away, there will be new branches that burst forth with energy and excitement and they will produce their own set of leaves that will gently blow in the breeze. Although if we just leave the tree as it is, the old dead limb will just hang there on the tree lifeless, ugly and unproductive.

Isn’t this the same as humans?  How many of you were wounded two years ago. Oh you mean it was more than that. Seriously, it was ten years ago that you were wounded and instead of taking care of that branch you just let it hang there dead for ten years. Have you allowed the branch to just hang onto you and weigh you down? Each time the Lord tries to get you help pruning that old limb instead of saying yes, you lash out attacks. . Do we really want our lives to look like this old maple tree with a broken limb protruding for everyone to walk by and say, “I remember that storm, it was a bad one, we left that old branch there as a reminder to never let a storm hurt us this way again.”

Can you imagine if the tree were like us, it would never let an old car that backfires park under it. The sound of the backfire would remind him too much of the thunder that hit the day the storm came. Or would a tree seriously never allow anyone to ever water it again, because it was wounded during a rain storm?   The water from the sprinkler reminded it of the rain.  If the tree never allows moisture to hit it again, not only will the limb die, but the whole tree will die.

We know that to have real life that tree must be pruned. That old limb needs cut off in order for the new limbs to grow. How many times I have heard someone say, “I will never allow a person to get close to me again because I have been hurt in this area”. I have been guilty of that myself. But to be like the Psalms 1 tree we have have to be willing to let the Lord prone those bad branches off so when others look at us they only see the beautiful luscious branches with leaves and fruit in abundance. If we hold onto the wounds when others see us, they see old dead branches hanging on and weighing us down. Lord, help me remove the branches that are weighing me down, and the dead branches that are only hanging on to remind me of a past storms. Help me to develop new leaves, bright leaves, luscious leaves that remind others of joy, happiness and contentment.

Psalms 1

1 ¶ Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

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.

4 ¶ The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.