Skip to main content

New Article: Getting in Shape

 

               As I was visiting with a buddy who owns a tree care business, a man came up and asked about having some trees removed from his yard and others trimmed up.  When my friend asked why he wanted this work done, the man replied that the trees were too big, and he wanted to get them under control.  I thought my buddy’s response was interesting. 

He said that you cannot control a tree.  Trees are genetically predisposed to be a certain shape and size.  You can cut the top or the sides off, but the tree will regrow to the height and shape that it was before. 

I know that this is true because, a few years ago, a neighbour cut the tops off his evergreen trees.  Guess what happened.  The trees regrew to the height they were previously. 

Even damaged trees show this ability.  Years ago, one of the trees in our front yard broke off in a storm.  I got the chainsaw, cut up the limbs and then cut the tree off leaving a stump that was about three feet tall.  Guess what happened.  The stump regrew and now its new branches are as tall as the old trees.

Trees want to be a certain size and shape and when something happens to alter them, they fight to be what they were designed to be.  There is no other option.  If they are alive, they will try to be what they were meant to be.

Maybe that explains something about us as well.  God designed us to be a certain way and when we fight against that design, we have trouble.

Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him”.  Our lives are meant to take a shape that reflects that image in us.  When we fight against that or ignore it, we have trouble.  Our spirits will be restless until we allow that growth to happen.

If you are looking for help in your spiritual growth, you are always welcome at church.  Everyone is just trying to get into shape!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

  Let’s play a quick game.  Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God.  Got your words?  Good!   Here comes the game part.  I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours.   David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching.     How did you do? This is not a useless exercise.  The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him.  For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me.  When I remember that...
Post a Comment
Read more