I was at mass on Friday and the first reading was from Jeremiah, speaking of trusting in God. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it’s leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Je 17:7-8) There are many instances in the Bible that present us as vegetation. We can wither or flourish.
While listening to the Word, I envisioned this beautiful strong tree, surrounded entirely by a dry barren wasteland, except this vital river flowing next to it, giving it all the nutrients it needs and allowing it to become a robust and thriving plant. It’s roots are a deep reddish brown, wrapping around one another as they drink of the water gently flowing by. The water is not rushing, not forced, but merely flowing, grazing the roots as it passes by. In a short amount, the tree grows green and vibrant. I thought of the other verse from Isaiah: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Is 43:19) He makes a way in this place that is otherwise void of life. It shoots up from the dry, arid, barren wasteland. Water seems to come from nowhere, forming a placid river. This wipes out the previous landscape; this is the new thing He is doing.
While this can be terrifying and paralyzing, this reverts back to the first verse from Jeremiah. If we trust in the Lord, we will be blessed. We have no worry in years of drought or pestilence. Taking from a more recent and secular comment from Jordan Peterson, we don’t have less fear but we just become braver. We have more confidence than we do fear. While the fear doesn’t actually reduce, it is the proportion that changes and because our confidence outweighs the fear, we come more brave. This is how we can flourish as the tree does. Our branches extend up to Heaven, glorifying God and praising Him. We reach up to the sun and experience more of His radiant joy, creating a positive feedback loop of growth. As we receive nourishment from below and above, the surrounding environment that was once withering the tree now is giving life. It continues to do so as long as the trust is there.
This was a powerful image for me and I wanted to share. There is no shortage of fear, real or imagined, in this world and the best we can do is hope and surrender to the Lord by trusting Him. We need no worry and we will bear much fruit. That is blessings though our God given gifts and talents.
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