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| meditating on trees | |
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Jesus never promised a storm-free life for those who followed him. What we do get is a storm-proof life. I was reminded of this last Thursday when Metro Manila got hit by a hurricane, and most of the city was out of power by lunchtime. (Ironic that during monsoon season there were no serious storms but afterwards we've had two so far and are expecting more) So there I was in my room with no power. Couldn't go out to see clients because of the bad weather conditions and the powercuts. I was a happy girl though, marooned in my room with my dozens of books (Wherever I am I just accumulate books!) but when night fell and I had to rely on my mobile phone's flashlight, it became less fun. So nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs. Or so I thought. But God had other plans. During the next five days he showed me that even when I feel dry (or rather especially then) he brings opportunities to minister to girls who really need to get encouraged, and then I get to claim the promise that (s)he who refreshes others with herself get refreshed! After my weekend with my family in Baguio I'm back in Manila to survey the damage. Uprooted trees everywhere, especially in the Ateneo and UP campuses. And it's not just "weak" trees, even trees that appear to be so strong and sturdy have fallen on their sides, exposing their roots for what they really are. And as I reflect on the trees, I saw three reasons why trees fall in the storms and found spiritual parallells: (1) Shallow Roots : In our walk with God, we have to build strong foundations, dig our roots deep in the Word. But it's not just about accumulating knowledge (knowledge of the Bible, of church history, traditions, etc.) but about letting these truths transform our minds, hearts and lives. As James says, faith that is not expressed in action is worthless and dead. Unfortunately a lot of people miss heaven by 18 inches. There's 18 inches between our heads and our hearts, and much of what they hear and learn about Jesus never makes it down the last 18 inches. (2) Deep but few roots: This is about how sometimes we overemphasize some areas of faith or of the character of God to the detriment of the other equally important areas. For example, focusing too much on apologetics and not enough on building relationships, or focusing too much on God as and ignoring that He is also a very just, holy and righteous God. This imbalance is one way people fall away from the faith. We must make sure to explore all the different faces of God, a quest that will never be exhausted or boring!!! (3) Isolation: Some big and large trees fall even with strong and deep roots. But these are the ones you find in the middle of a field, alone. There are no surrounding trees or other structures that could have helped buffet the force of the strong winds, hence the tree falls. We as Christians also need to stay close to other strong Christians! Take a red-hot coal away from the other coals and it won't take too long for it to cool off. But put it back in a group of red-hot coals and they burn brighter than ever! There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian! God Himself is a relational Triune Being, He is the very epitome of relationships, what more us humans who are made in his image!? | |
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