Trees

As I'm walking into my building this morning and I'm looking at all the trees and bushes and pine straw and what not that the owners of my building have set up so that we can enjoy a beautiful landscape each and every day arriving to work. I'm not the type of person who knows the names of all the bushes and trees and flowers but some of them have caught my attention to the point that I always seek them out.

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The weeping willow is a beautiful tree to me. I like the way it is full and tall and even though it seems like the burdens of its life are weighing down its branches it still grows straight up toward heaven. Although it could easily break and fall it overcomes its adversities and stands tall as all trees do. But, no matter how straight they stand they still seem to want everyone to see all the weight each branch has on it.

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The dogwood tree comes in all sorts of colors. Some are tall and full while others are short and sparse. They only bloom at certain times of the year but when they do they are just breathtaking. Their blooms announce the beginning of a new season and even though they quickly fade you know they will return year after year.

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The pine tree stays green all year long but it isn't friendly. It has this awful sticky sap that seems to ooze out of it day after day. It produces these prickly pine cones that will poke you and make you bleed. Their needles are just that...needles. This tree is intriguing and even though others want to get close everyone knows to be cautious because the pine tree will bite you when you least expect it.

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The evergreen trees are my favorite. No matter the season or the weather they are gorgeous. They are always green and full. They grow taller and taller each year with the anticipation of becoming a Christmas tree. They are able to stay beautiful for some time even after being cut away from their roots. The smell that they give off is better than the most beautiful perfume ever created. Evergreen trees are complete and whether you add a few lights and decoration to them or you just let them be plain there is never anything missing from them.

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But, have you ever stopped to notice that trees are like people? Some people are like weeping willows. They have alot of life's burdens on their shoulders and even though their branches are weak and heavy they still remain faithful and stand straight. But, although they are faithful and firm in their stand they remind everyone time and time again of each burden they are carrying on their shoulders. It is as if each problem, each heartache, each scar is in plain sight so that they can never forget (and most definitely not allow anyone else to forget) the struggles they have faced in their life.

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Others are like the dogwood tree. Their branches are either full of encouragement and wonder or they are bare and cold. You never quite know when they are going to burst forth with blooms or when they are going to be hollow and empty. You aren't too sure when you can depend on them on when you can't.

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There are some people who are like pine trees. They don't want anyone to be near them but they always want people talking about them. They like to be the center of attention but yet they will bite you if you even attempt to get too close.

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And then, you have the evergreen trees. To me the evergreen trees remind me of what Christians are to be like. Always green, always full, always willing to serve and always wanting to do more. Even after they are gone the memory of what they were lingers on for years. They are an example to everyone.

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"I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." Leviticus 26:4 A little rain is going to fall in our lives. The real question is what type of fruit are our trees going to produce when that rain falls? Will our branches be hung low so that everyone can see the burdens we carry? Will we produce a beautiful flower that will only blow away and fade in time? Will we keep our outer skin sticky with sap so that anyone who touches us will be changed in the wrong way? Or, will the rain simply make us greener, stronger, more prepared to serve? What type of tree are you?