Blog by Christine Davis
My husband and I moved from the coast of Massachusetts to the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts a little more than a year ago. Since living here, I am just loving the tremendous variety of beautiful trees all around us. We have a cluster of black cherry trees overhanging our deck, and a stand of white birch very nearby. As the little black cherries ripen, I observe the tree offering its fruit to birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and bears. I study the birch bark and am intrigued by its texture and beauty. The clean white bark with its black markings stands out beautifully against the blue sky. I have collected birch bark and displayed it in bowls and baskets around my house. I have attempted watercolor paintings of the beautiful bark. We recently trimmed some branches from the black cherry, and I harvested a few cups of berries and created some tasty jam.
I read in Genesis that, after God created the mass of the earth, then the light, the sky, the land, and the water… then He created the plants and trees. Trees are the ancient ones, the first living things, before animals. Just trees, no mammals, no fish, no insects. Trees came even before the sun and moon, living in God’s pure light. Trees were here, bearing fruit for no one to eat. These ancient ones witnessed the creation long before the fall. To God, a day is like a thousand years. (2 Peter 3;8) Who knows how long trees and plants enjoyed this planet in its pristine state? Is it any wonder that “the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isa, 55:12) when the Lord’s kingdom fully comes?
Trees played a huge part in the story of the Fall, where one tree bore fruit that imparted eternal life, and another tree’s fruit gave the knowledge of good and evil. In Revelation, we learn that there will be trees in the new heaven and new earth, whose leaves will bring healing to the nations. (Rev. 22:2)
Clearly, there is so much more to know about trees than we can ever discover through science.
It was a very cool Godwink when I read Debbie’s recent blog, “W-rest-ling to Listen,” and especially the poem, “Between Two Trees.” Using the process of YadaFactor helps me experience God, connecting dots like this, which confirm His presence in whispers. I quoted the poem below for your reference.
Between Two Trees
by Debbie Csutoros
The rope falls perfectly
Forming a swing for the body.
One leg at a time gently crawls into
its natural sway.
The whole body lays back in rest
between two trees.
How would this be if not for love?
Love sacrificed between two trees, that
we might rest in Thee.
Are you resting?
Are you swaying in the comfort of His rest?
Choose this day
to rest…between two trees.
I love this idea of resting between two trees. Three crosses, Jesus in the middle, and me resting in the hammock of his love. Trees are old, steady, and reliable. They receive from God and give to His creation. I just love them. How tragic that the Lord of Life was crucified on a tree. So wrong… and yet exactly right.
Watercolor birch trees ( I’m a beginner )
