"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:5-8 NIV)
A couple of weeks ago, a tree-sized branch fell from our prized chestnut oak. We have no idea how old this precious tree is, but it is definitely a rare and wonderful homestead tree, and for us it has provided a respite from heat in summer, a playground for our grandchildren in all seasons, a feasting ground for deer throughout the winter, not to mention a year 'round home for who knows how many varieties of birds.
July 28, 2020
The "thud" of that huge branch falling still echoes in my head, like the explosion of a distant cannon. When we realized what the sound was, our hearts were shattered with the thought of losing our beloved tree, but then immediately thankful it had happened when no child or critter was playing under it, or we were picking blackberries from the vines it protects. It even missed the benches and potted plants of my "secret garden!"
As it turns out, the rest of the tree is still healthy, according to our "tree man;" in fact, the part that fell was itself healthy, but what happened was a slow, invisible crack developed where the branch joined the trunk of the tree. Over time, water seeped in and rotted the juncture, then allowed insects to burrow invisibly between trunk and branch, until the huge branch's weight became too much. Almost immediately the leaves of the fallen branch began to wither, and now, two weeks later, the leaves are turning prematurely brown and beginning to fall off. Why? Because they are separated from their source of life and nourishment, the gigantic trunk which has, I'm sure, an even more enormous root system below ground, which is supporting the whole magnificent structure.
August 14, 2020
What lessons that broken branch can teach us! First of all, it had grown bigger than all the other branches, probably taking more than its share of nourishment from the trunk anyway, perhaps thinking (if trees could think) it was a little better or more deserving than the other branches, even trying to make itself as important or stately as the trunk. Ouch! How often do I feel my "issues" or "needs" or thoughts or words are more important than everyone else's? Is that going to make me eventually too big a burden for my friends or family to bear and end up separating me from what is really my life-blood?
Or have I let worldly or selfish thoughts and actions seep into my life and come between me and my REAL source of life, my God and my Savior? Do I seek His face in prayer and His wisdom from His Word as often as I seek the wisdom of the world on television or Facebook? Am I so wrapped up in my aches and pains or the fears of Covid19 or the economy or the election that I have forgotten the need to fellowship with other believers to keep me strong in battling those fears? Am I still reaching out to others with greater needs than mine to show them Christ's love?
I've often had the thought that our "idols" -- sports, entertainment, financial success-- are being torn down in this pandemic. But what if it's more about our personal idols that are coming between us and our Source of eternal life and our true purpose: shining the Light of Jesus into a lost and dark world? I don't want to be that broken branch, tossed into the fire and burned. I'd like to go on living fully, attached to the Vine that has given me life since before I was born. I'd like to keep bearing fruit until my last breath is taken. An old hymn comes to mind as the perfect prayer:
