To Be Planted & Nourished by: Alyssa
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved trees. When I was a kid I would climb any that I was tall enough to reach (sometimes still do). In a tree you have a totally different vantage point than you do on the ground. When I’m not climbing them, I’m admiring them. Trees are fascinating. I’ve recently learned more about trees than I could have imagined because my older brother, Austin, is majoring in Forestry in college. There are 750 types of trees in North America and over 100,000 types in the world. So when I read a Bible Study that used trees as a metaphor, I was immediately intrigued. I was reading the study on the She Reads Truth app (which I love! I’ve always liked reading their studies, and now they are at my fingertips) about the book of Psalms and here’s what it said:
The book of Psalms opens by describing a godly person as one who delights in God’s law and meditates on it around the clock.
“{She} is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruits in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:3
The book of Psalms opens by describing a godly person as one who delights in God’s law and meditates on it around the clock.
“{She} is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruits in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm 1:3
“I want to be that tree.
I want you to be that tree. I
want our roots to be so saturated in the truth
of God’s word that our lives bear fruit even on the hardest days.”
–She Reads Truth
I want you to be that tree. I
want our roots to be so saturated in the truth
of God’s word that our lives bear fruit even on the hardest days.”
–She Reads Truth
How we should be like a tree:
1. Oak. Tough and lasting.
Live Oaks are evergreen and live for a very long time, some about 1,500 years. They have a net-like root system that isn’t as fragile as other oaks and have some of the toughest wood. We might not want to live 1,500 years (I know I don’t) but we do want to last. God has plans for us here; we need to take care of our bodies that He’s given us in order to be tough. Tough is definitely not my number one characteristic, but through Christ and His power, I can be stronger than ever. I’ve been able to do things with Him that I could never do on my own. When I am weak, He is strong. Trees don’t just come out of the ground tough and strong. They are planted, they are fed, and they grow. It takes time. It’s not an easy task to knock a tree down, so like a tree, don’t let it be easy to get knocked down.
2. Willow. Flexible and not easily broken.
Willow trees are my favorite trees. When you’re underneath a Willow it feels magical, like you’re in your own little world. Willows grow near water so their roots have easy access. If we’re referring to water as God’s truth, then we need to be planted near water too. Think about it: all trees, plants, and any form of life, lives off of water. We need to be soaked in God’s truth daily in order to survive in this dry world. Willow trees also have light, flexible wood that doesn’t easily break. Let’s face it- sometimes life does not go our way. I can tell you from personal experience, right now, that that statement is true. People don’t plan on car crashes. We don’t plan on our loved ones having cancer. We don’t plan to have hardships. As silly as it seems, I didn’t plan on moving back with my parents and still working a minimum wage job after I graduated with a Bachelor’s. But that’s real life for me and a real struggle I have. One thing I’ve learned is to be flexible. If we are set on certain plans then we will be disappointed. We will break. This is the hardest lesson for me because I’m a planner. Literally I want to be an event planner, so for things to not go as planned really messes with me. But I’ve seen the beauty in being flexible. In letting God control the plans. It’s more incredible than anything I could have ever come up with. So, let’s be like a Willow, flexible and soaked in God’s truth.
3. Pine. Solid Foundation.
Pines have a long, tough tap root which extends really far down into the soil with many lateral roots stemming from that. Their many roots give them a solid foundation that helps them live long and fruitful lives. Yes, trees fall. But having deep roots make them stronger and able to withstand more. To be like a Pine we need to have deep roots and a solid foundation. We need to not only know what we believe, but why we believe it. Back it up. The deeper we dig into the Word, the more it will saturate us and the more our life will begin to look like Jesus. Pines produce cones yearly and can live to be well over 5,000 years old. As Children of God, we’re not here to just hang out and have a good time (although we do have a great time). We are to produce fruit. We are to share God’s word, strive to be like Christ, and see changes in lives because of it. We might not ever be able to see an impact we have on someone’s life, but still plant the seed.
We need to have a solid foundation {Luke 6:48}. We need to be flexible {Proverbs 16:9}. We need to be tough {Ephesians 6:10}. I could probably make a million more analogies and metaphors but I’ll save you from that. Next time you look at the trees, I encourage you to see God’s beauty, to see yourself. And rely on God to bring out in you those characteristics we so greatly admire in the trees.
Live Oaks are evergreen and live for a very long time, some about 1,500 years. They have a net-like root system that isn’t as fragile as other oaks and have some of the toughest wood. We might not want to live 1,500 years (I know I don’t) but we do want to last. God has plans for us here; we need to take care of our bodies that He’s given us in order to be tough. Tough is definitely not my number one characteristic, but through Christ and His power, I can be stronger than ever. I’ve been able to do things with Him that I could never do on my own. When I am weak, He is strong. Trees don’t just come out of the ground tough and strong. They are planted, they are fed, and they grow. It takes time. It’s not an easy task to knock a tree down, so like a tree, don’t let it be easy to get knocked down.
2. Willow. Flexible and not easily broken.
Willow trees are my favorite trees. When you’re underneath a Willow it feels magical, like you’re in your own little world. Willows grow near water so their roots have easy access. If we’re referring to water as God’s truth, then we need to be planted near water too. Think about it: all trees, plants, and any form of life, lives off of water. We need to be soaked in God’s truth daily in order to survive in this dry world. Willow trees also have light, flexible wood that doesn’t easily break. Let’s face it- sometimes life does not go our way. I can tell you from personal experience, right now, that that statement is true. People don’t plan on car crashes. We don’t plan on our loved ones having cancer. We don’t plan to have hardships. As silly as it seems, I didn’t plan on moving back with my parents and still working a minimum wage job after I graduated with a Bachelor’s. But that’s real life for me and a real struggle I have. One thing I’ve learned is to be flexible. If we are set on certain plans then we will be disappointed. We will break. This is the hardest lesson for me because I’m a planner. Literally I want to be an event planner, so for things to not go as planned really messes with me. But I’ve seen the beauty in being flexible. In letting God control the plans. It’s more incredible than anything I could have ever come up with. So, let’s be like a Willow, flexible and soaked in God’s truth.
3. Pine. Solid Foundation.
Pines have a long, tough tap root which extends really far down into the soil with many lateral roots stemming from that. Their many roots give them a solid foundation that helps them live long and fruitful lives. Yes, trees fall. But having deep roots make them stronger and able to withstand more. To be like a Pine we need to have deep roots and a solid foundation. We need to not only know what we believe, but why we believe it. Back it up. The deeper we dig into the Word, the more it will saturate us and the more our life will begin to look like Jesus. Pines produce cones yearly and can live to be well over 5,000 years old. As Children of God, we’re not here to just hang out and have a good time (although we do have a great time). We are to produce fruit. We are to share God’s word, strive to be like Christ, and see changes in lives because of it. We might not ever be able to see an impact we have on someone’s life, but still plant the seed.
We need to have a solid foundation {Luke 6:48}. We need to be flexible {Proverbs 16:9}. We need to be tough {Ephesians 6:10}. I could probably make a million more analogies and metaphors but I’ll save you from that. Next time you look at the trees, I encourage you to see God’s beauty, to see yourself. And rely on God to bring out in you those characteristics we so greatly admire in the trees.
Alyssa & Virginia
I hope you have enjoyed this awesome post by Alyssa as much as I have! You can find more articles written by Alyssa and Virginia at We Are Bloggish. You can also check out www.shaniquadbrown.com to read a special blog I wrote for Shaniqua’s site. I hope you check out some of Shanique’s articles while you’re there, she’s brilliant!
And remember to like, share and subscribe!! See you next week to continue our study on Rebekah! 🙂 Love you guys!
SUPERSTARNAT 