Trees – Looking at Our Health

Are there times you feel blighted? – Overwhelmed? Drained by leeches? Life can be harsh and imperfect health happens to all of us at various times in our lives. This may be physical or emotional. So how does all of this connect to trees?

Previously, we looked at fallen trees. It was determined there were multiple ways they could have ended up horizontal verses the vertical. But they were all … fallen. But as I looked at the trees not fallen, I tried to analyze which were healthy and which were not.

Some were easy …

Some were not …

In doing a simple online search, I determined there are some ways to determine unhealthiness, but these are not always conclusive to every tree. Angi has an article that gives some key things for which to look … and I took these and overlapped them into our journey with and for God …

• One “leader’ stem … basically an undivided use of resources and less likely to be split by outside forces (keep eyes on Jesus, focused, not serving two masters)
• Strong bark … thick, healthy bark that protects (so like Ephesians 6, putting on the whole armor of God, not just part of it)
• Full robust branches … thriving, lack of leafless branches, ,healthy leaves and fruit (like producing the fruit of the Spirit, not fruit of the world/Gal 6 – also pruning away of fruitless limbs and even overbearing limbs/John 15)
• Lots of leaves that are appropriate color and healthy … no holes, mold, powdery patches, fungi (casting off anything that hinders us/Hebrews 12)

In the same article, it listed ways to assist the health of a tree ..

• Watering (Jesus is the Living Water)
• Mulching … holds water, feeds (Jesus is the Bread of Life)
• Pruning … (God disciplines those whom He loves)
• Fertilizing … (add compost -yuck- feeds the tree, and aids growth)

Can you save a dying tree? Angi says yes.

Is there hope for a sick and dying child of God? Always. Our God is the resurrection and the Life!

is there hope for you? Yes. But know this, there is no magic pill, God demands discipline.