Lessons From the Oaks

I learned something this past week. Well, I guess I learn something every week. It’s just that sometimes the things I learn have a greater impact.

William Bryant Logan writes in Oak “In some forests, oak trees of compatible species graft their roots together and ‘become one flesh.’ Through their shared root system, the stronger, dominant trees may provide the weaker trees with nutrients. In this way, even the roots of stumps can continue to live and contribute to the forest.”

That’s kind of like the body of Christ, isn’t it? There are days, times, periods in your life where you are the mighty oak, supplying nutrients and life to those who seem to be running short on both. There are other days, times, or periods of your life where you feel sapped (Sorry, but I had to do that.) of all energy and hope for life and future. It is at those key moments that another part of the body of Christ comes along to pick you up and increase your hope, indeed your very life! My guess is that you are thinking about someone specifically who has been that tremendous blessing to you.

Even more appropriate is Christ’s own claim in John 15:5; I am the vine, you are the branches. We’ve known that all along. We can certainly tell the difference when we cut ourselves off from other believers, when we ignore fellowship and do not tend to our spiritual relationships, when we neglect times of prayer and Scripture reading. It doesn’t take long, after we pull our roots away from the source of our spiritual nurture, before we become spiritually unhealthy.

Jesus Christ is that never-ending spring of eternal life and love and hope that continues to well up within us even when times say it should be otherwise. It is through the Spirit of Christ that we continue to live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Even when we don’t connect well with one another, we can be connected to Jesus Christ who nourishes us all and provides us with life now and life eternal!

Pastor Craig