I live in an area that has many trees. One day on my way from work, I noticed a row of trees have had all the branches chopped off! 'Why did they do that?' I asked myself. A few months later, I was intrigued to see leaves had started sprouting from the cut off branches. It did not need the branch to grow longer because it was still connected to the trunk which was still connected with the root that fed it.
Sometimes in life we go through a period when it seems we've been stripped of nearly everything if not all. We go through challenges that leaves us feeling vulnerable; maybe our job is gone, no income is coming in, our spouse have left us, we feel all alone and we are wondering why LORD?
Like those trees near my home, maybe we are going through our season of pruning. Maybe there are some dead leaves and branches that needs to be cut out of our trunk so that our lives can become even more fruitful and productive.
The trees were still able to produce green leaves because they were still connected to their root that gives them their nutrient for living. Just remain grounded in Jesus, the season shall pass and you will be even more fruitful.
Over the past twelve months or so I have developed a passion for photography, not that I want to change careers but I am just fascinated by the stories that pictures tell.
A few yard from my home, there is this old tree, pictured below. It must be well over 100 years. It is one of the precious trees that are preserved by the city council; anyone who cuts it without permission can be fined up to twenty thousand pounds!
On the lower part of the trunk, the bark is peeling off, it's trunk is rugged and cracked indicating its old age yet it still brings forth green trees every year. How come this tree is still bearing leaves in its old age? It is deeply rooted and connected to the source of its nutrients.
Every time I pass this tree, I am reminded about the children of God. Old age is not a barrier to productivity and fruitfulness. As long as you are deeply rooted in Jesus Christ, you will continue to get your daily nourishment and the life-giving nutrients to continue to be fruitful until Jesus calls you home.
Truly, those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.
