{"id":956,"date":"2013-08-17T08:37:57","date_gmt":"2013-08-17T12:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/?p=956"},"modified":"2013-08-17T05:38:18","modified_gmt":"2013-08-17T09:38:18","slug":"hugging-the-almost-dead-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/?p=956","title":{"rendered":"Hugging the (Almost) Dead Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"\"<\/a>There is a tree in my yard that has seen better days. According to the landscaper, the tree\u00a0may be the oldest one in the neighborhood. Because of this historical significance, for years I have been reluctant to cut it down, even after a former neighbor declared that he would “take the ugly thing out” himself if I would let him.<\/p>\n

The landscaper explained that the tree is in its current condition for several reasons. When the neighborhood was built, the tree was saved, but the developers poured a concrete parking slab in front of it that adjoined the newly paved road. What was once rich soil covering the tree’s root system was now a permanent barrier that no longer allowed rain to reach all of the roots. In addition, mistletoe had attached itself on top of the tree. This parasite that we associate with romantic love (maybe there is more to this symbolism than we think? :)) had killed portions of the tree.<\/p>\n

As I have watched something that was once strong and flourishing now struggle for survival,\u00a0I can see a lot of big-picture lessons. While the tree had no choice in the matter, people, on the other hand, often go through a similar cycle because of choices that seem okay at the time. Sometimes these are obvious. Like the concrete slab, we have the ability to stifle some great things that God has in store for us by inserting barriers in our lives that alter the plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans\u00a0I have for you,\u201d declares the\u00a0Lord, \u201cplans to prosper\u00a0you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.<\/em> Sometimes\u00a0the choices are not as clear, like when less-than-enriching people or habits end up clinging to us like mistletoe, and again, rob us of more of the good that God has designed.<\/p>\n

There are other lessons from the tree. Its experience parallels the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13: 3-8: \u00a0“A farmer went out to sow his seed.\u00a0As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.\u00a0Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. <\/span><\/span>But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.\u00a0Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.\u00a0Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop\u2014a hundred,\u00a0sixty or thirty times what was sown.” <\/em>So, my tree was on good ground until this very same ground became otherwise. I don’t know about you, but I am constantly evaluating where I am and seeking the best “ground” for me to grow into who God has made me. Likewise, I want to provide what is needed for those around me to also have the freedom to grow.<\/p>\n

The final lesson from the tree lies in its prognosis. The landscaper believes he can save the tree. He has a process in place that involves drilling holes in the ground, fertilizing the tree, and removing the dead limbs. Over time, the tree should return to its original form. \"\"<\/a>God does the same for us. Like the landscaper, He can see what needs to be done to make us new again.\u00a0Psalm 107: 19-21: “Then they cried\u00a0to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0in their trouble,\u00a0and He saved them\u00a0from their distress.\u00a0He sent out his word\u00a0and healed them; He rescued\u00a0them from the grave.\u00a0Let them give thanks\u00a0to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0for His unfailing love\u00a0and His wonderful deeds…”
\n<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a tree in my yard that has seen better days. According to the landscaper, the tree\u00a0may be the oldest one in the neighborhood. Because of this historical significance, for years I have been reluctant to cut it down, even after a former neighbor declared that he would “take the ugly thing out” himself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=956"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1002,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions\/1002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jdouglaswright.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}