Tree
We have a tree. A showstopper tree. Last week a couple was using it as their backdrop in a photo shoot. This week a woman parked and got out “just to look at our tree.” It is a maple that shines and glistens and glows for a little less than two weeks every fall. It is beautiful, and I love it. And its beauty is waning - with as many of its lovely leaves on the ground as on its branches now. In one or two more days, it will be practically bare.
Trees are a vital part of landscapes - the type of trees, the height of the trees, the abundance or lack of trees, all are clues to the climate, elevation and latitude of a place. If I see a photo with lots of palm trees, I know that is a tropical location. A photo of giant redwoods is somewhere out west. A photo full of sand dunes as far as you can see, and no trees is a desert.
I love trees - they are one of my favorite things to photograph. In my home I have canvas prints of some of my tree photographs. As a part of God’s creation, trees comfort and inspire me.
As a kid, I was a great one for climbing trees. I had a friend named Anna, and she and I would climb a tree every afternoon after school and just hang out and talk. Another house in the neighborhood had a giant mulberry tree, and when it was full of berries, it seems like every kid from blocks around would be up in that tree eating mulberries.
Trees are much seen in the Bible, as well. Sometimes they are a main character in the story, such as in the Garden of Eden, the story of Zaccheus trying to see Jesus, or the description of heaven in the book of Revelation. Other times trees are personified, such as when the prophet Isaiah writes that the trees of the field will clap their hands. And in many places, our own lives are described through the metaphor of a tree. Here is a good one to consider in this season of autumn:
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
“Through delight and meditation, we become nourished.”
As you take time to look at the trees in your neighborhood, whether they are aflame with the colors of fall, or tropical and green, or tall and stately evergreens, or bare branches preparing for a cold winter - pause and reflect on this truth. Delight in Scripture, meditate on God’s word. You don’t have to fully understand every mystery or claim expert knowledge. The promise of this psalm is that through delight and meditation, we become nourished, fruitful and life-giving.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the invitation to rest by the waters, soak in delight, drink in your truth and be nourished by your Word. May I be open to the good work you are doing in these still moments.