Jordan's Crossing: The Sheltering Tree

I sit at my window this morning, contemplating the day before me and all I have to do. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the number of tasks on my list and all of the things pressing on my mind today. I feel beaten down and tired. Exhausted before the day has even begun.

Quiet and alone I sit, silently speaking to God as I stare out my window. I ask Him to teach me something; to give me strength to get up and move. He answers. He opens my eyes to the beauty of nature outside my window, and He asks me to turn my attention away from myself for just a moment. He tells me to be still and just recognize the little things happening there before me.

At once I notice the birds, flitting from tree to tree, and then, as if on cue, a bright red cardinal perches in my favorite tree. The bird immediately lifts his head in song. I watch him, transfixed by the upward tilt of his head, his neck stretched back as far as it will go, and his beak pulsing as he sings. He seems to be straining with all of his might to sing loudly, as if willing the winds to carry his song of praise to the Creator above.

I lean forward and crack my window open to listen, and as I do, I notice a pair of squirrels darting playfully up one side of the tree and back down the other. I smile. It occurs to me just how important this tree’s place is in nature. Its limbs provide perches, its leaves shelter, its trunk a mix between playground and freeway… “But what is it you are trying to teach me, God?”

As I sit, transfixed by the birds and squirrels, God begins to speak to me through that tree. He shows me, with the eye-opening awe that only silent moments can provide, a deeper meaning and purpose of this work of art in my front yard. Roots planted firmly in solid ground. Trunk strong and straight, willing and able to support the weight of heavy branches. Branches, like arms, extended toward the heavens as if heralding the Mighty One who gives it life. Some branches, at first glance, look bent and unsure. On closer inspection, however, it is clear that they are reaching in any way possible toward the sun. “Whatever it takes,” they seem to say to me. “Whatever it takes to get a glimpse of His glorious light!”

“Are you learning something?” God asks me. I smile.

This beautiful old tree, planted years ago by God himself, has been a source of comfort for me since we have lived here, but I’d never quite seen it in this light before. God reminds me that my sheltering tree has been a gift for countless creatures. It fulfills its duties without a single complaint. It depends on God for its existence. It receives minerals from the soil, and rain from the clouds. It has been blown and bent by mighty winds, and pruned by strikes of lightening. It supports children as they climb, and rocks them as they swing. It provides refreshing shade in the summer, and glorious color in the fall. It serves its purpose without faltering. It is steadfast. Unmovable. Tested by the elements. Protected by God.