Lessons From A Tree

I have always felt a strong spiritual connection to trees. As a young man living in the Coastal Mountain region, I would often skip church on Sunday morning and instead go hiking in the nearby rain forests because I found that just being surrounded by lush forest really nourished my soul and allowed me to connect to the Creator. I want to share with you, a few things that I have learned, and continue to be reminded of by observing trees:

Be, Don't Do - We frequently tend to get really caught up in “Doing” instead of “Being”. We allow our “Job” to define what we “Do” and for some reason this becomes a prime definition of who we are. Maybe we have broken out of that mould and are more focused on our Hobbies and Interests to define us. This situation is an improvement, but it’s still about “Doing”. Without including any activities, can we define who we really are? Look at a tree – It doesn’t “Do” anything – it just stands there – it just “Be”s. Learn to be like a tree. Learn to “Be”, like a tree. I Be. You Be. Everything Bes. We are so accustomed to not Being, our spellcheckers complain about the word Bes!

Raise your Hands- Look at a tree again. See how its hands are reaching up to heaven. It is grabbing the sky; Grasping for God; Reaching for Heaven. As it reaches, its branches make a pattern of intricate beauty against the deep clarity of sky. The tree is majestic – a wonder of creation. The tree dedicates its entire life to its purpose of reaching up. The tree shows us what we can do. The tree shows the Creator what we might do. It pleads on our behalf. It models on His behalf. It Represents.

Enjoy your environment; never complaining - I have never heard a tree complain. They are stuck outside and have to endure whatever nature throws at them; drenching rain, blistering sun, ferocious wind, dead still boredom, blazing heat, and numbing cold. Trees are the living embodiment of the phrase “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”. Is what you’re facing really that bad? Why complain?

Bloom where you are planted - Trees are not fooled by the myth of “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. Trees do their best, right where they are. Trees take what they can get, sink their roots deep, and raise their hands. They don’t waste time wishing they were somewhere else. Tree will strive for more sunlight and water, but they will never just pull up and move somewhere “better”.

Produce Fruit In Kind - Trees know who they are, and accept that fact. An apple tree is great at making apples, but not so great at making bananas. So what does it do? Does it read a lot of books about how to make bananas? No – it focuses on making apples! Learn what your strengths are. Come to terms with your talents and passions. Don’t bother trying to turn something you are “Really Bad” at, into something you are “Not quite as Bad” at. It is more effective to turn “Good” into “Great” or “Great” into “Excellent”. For more on this topic I highly recommend the work of Marcus Buckingham

Pace Yourself Trees understand their limitations. There is only so much mass that a tree can add to its size in a given growing season. Why? There are limits to how much water and nutrients a tree can suck up through its roots and trunk and convert into new growth. Furthermore, as a tree gets bigger and bigger, its volume and surface area expand, so that each year the mass available for growth must be spread over a larger area. These are physical limitations. You also have physical limitations. You cannot create more hours in a day. Whatever time you add to one area of your life, you take away from another area. Be aware of this. Be Intentional about this.

Never Stop Growing - Trees never stop growing. Growing is what trees do, that’s their whole point! Does it make sense for us to stop growing just because no one is around to spoon-feed us? Take responsibility for your own knowledge and expertise. Do not allow yourself to atrophy. Make it a priority to expand your horizons, learn something new, embrace a fresh perspective. Challenge yourself.

I find it useful to have quick lists to remember things by, so here’s a quick list reference summary for this article:

Be, Don't Do
Raise your Hands (be beautiful, exalt in who you are,
Worship your creator, represent)
Enjoy your environment (rain, sun, wind, still, hot, cold) never complaining
Bloom where you are planted - stewardship
Produce Fruit In Kind - focus on Strengths
Pace Yourself
Never Stop Growing

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