The reminder came in our school mailboxes last week… It’s
time for 3rd grade teachers to order trees to be given out for Earth
Day. As my grade level partner (I LOVE
her to pieces and appreciate her more than she will ever know) and I were counting
up how many saplings we needed to order I made the comment, “You know, I think
Mom and Dad still have some of our 3rd grade trees growing in the
yard!” I made a mental note to take a
picture of one next time I was at the farm to help give my students some
perspective. When they first get that
little 10-inch tall sapling it sure doesn’t look like much. It’s honestly pretty scrawny and would be
easy to disregard as something that would never turn into much of
anything. I remember feeling that way
about my little tree when I brought it home from school in 3rd grade. Fortunately, my parents saw the potential in
it and we made a family affair of planting that little evergreen out between
the garden and cattle lot. We gave it
some TLC and it took root.
When I was at the farm on Sunday, I pulled out my phone to
snap a quick picture of that tree and couldn’t help but get some perspective of
my own. I remembered that the tree was
still standing in the yard, but I had lost track of what can happen when a tree
takes root for 26 years. What was once
just a scraggly little stick, is now a towering tree. I didn’t even realize how tall it actually
was until (a) and my mom walked beside it leading a horse and I saw how the large
tree dwarfed them. It really is amazing
what can happen when something takes root.
We were at the farm because all I had heard from (a) the
entire week was “I go feed cows!” He
tends to have cows on the brain a lot (which melts this Momma’s heart), and
when that idea of feeding cows takes root, there is no getting it off his mind
until he gets a chance to go to the barn.
 |
| "I feed cows, Momma!" |
I realize that I find myself in the same place sometimes
(and I’m not JUST talking about the need to go feed cows)- when something takes
root it is impossible to get it off my mind.
When something takes root, I lose track of just how big it can grow and how
it can dwarf other things in our lives.
I have recently been taking a careful inventory of what has taken root
in my heart.
It’s a little overwhelming when grief and hurt and sadness
and anger take root. While it is
perfectly normal to have those emotions, it is a different thing when they take
root and are allowed to grow. Without
realizing it, they can quickly grow into bitterness, and unforgiveness, and despair. Just like a tree, I lose track of time and don’t
see how big those problems are becoming until something passes by to put them
in perspective. While it is fine for the
tree to continue growing, I have been intentionally working to uproot these
feelings from my life- those feelings can NOT continue growing. Their size can be a dangerous problem if not
kept in check.
Hope, however,… now there is something worth taking
root. Even on the hardest days, a glimmer
of hope can change everything and give new perspective. When hope takes root, we see that struggles
may come, but we also see the light on the other side. Hope reminds that God is faithful and He is
carrying us every step of the way. I
love what Paul says in his letter to the church at Rome “…we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character;
and character hope. And hope does not disappoint
us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom
he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
I love two particular things about this- the fact that hope
can come out of suffering and the promise that hope will not disappoint us. Letting hope take root in my heart will choke
out the hurt that comes with suffering.
Hope brings with it the possibility of new beginnings, and more
importantly shines perspective on God’s great love for me. I want hope to take root.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
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