The Tree of Life

Tree hugging = Last fall, when the maple tree up the street was in its glory, I wrote a post about it along with a photo and said I didn't know I was a tree-hugger. Since then it has become more apparent, that indeed I'm a tree-hugger, but not in the way most people think of it.

Celebrate with Trees = Something our pastor said recently about the "tree of life" stuck with me. On one level one hears and understands that phrase "tree of life" meaning the cross, but often times things drift in, but don't stick, however, I liked his phrasing, it stuck with me and I ruminated over it several times. It was after I set up two boards on Pinterest, one being Christmas trees and the other with photos of crosses, that I suddenly realized that I could combine the two. We celebrate Christ's life with trees! A Christmas tree at his birth and a wooden cross symbolizing his death at Easter.

The Cross = Then something was said during our service this last week about a big wooden cross we sometimes use during the year that is stored in our sacristy. It's so tall that it has to be laid on its side. Once, when I was cleaning storage areas in our church building (Psst! I hate to say this, but people don't put stuff away even in churches), I had to step over the cross beams on my way through the room. I didn't make it, but instead crashed to my knees. I've always been clumsy and we had a minor earthquake back there! LOL!

Immersion in the Word = I got to thinking about how all these ideas relate. You know the cross, the tree of life, is used to bring us to our knees. I got a great object lesson about that when I really fell over it! It also got me into the Word again as I had to go look up verses listed in my concordance pertaining to the cross, knees, trees, branches, fruit, leaves, roots, wood, etc.

Hug Trees With Me!

1. Thank you Lord for the tree of life! Help me thrive like a green leaf!

2. Thank you Lord for answered prayers and your protection from alluring traps laid down by the wily one!

3. Thank you Lord, for the fellowship we enjoyed in small group last Sunday night! We learned about each other's courting days, our engagements and weddings and laughed at all the funny things that happened to us as each one relayed their stories. One common thread was that we had met our future spouses through church-related activities!

4. Thank you Lord for your distribution of creativity! I've enjoyed looking at all the eye candy on Pinterest.

5. Thank you Lord for women-who-follow-Christ online friends. I recently discovered that the Sisters In Christ Card Challenge blog that I knew is defunct and I have one friend who has stuck to me like a burr from when I participated. Bless Merry, Lord! Lord knows, she's blessed me with her contagious enthusiasm for life!

I used Mary Engelbreit's artwork to illustrate my point, however the top portion was added by me.