A warm quiet Az. evening invites a bike ride’ through the neighborhood, admiring landscapes the same but different’ pondering on hearts in need in homes entirely manicured. Then a peculiar scene…'A cause for pause’ …we turned around to take a closer look’ at this unusual picture that seemed to loudly speak ‘a thousand words ’without a sound … ‘lean on me’ was one of the first things that came to Jim’s mind.
I could not help but notice’ the ‘green of the tree’ it really appeared healthy in every way, strongly rooted’ black bark’ .. ‘why’ had it grown ‘so crooked’, so ‘weird like’ .. was it not meant to grow straight and tall? What had happened to cause this ‘gnarly bend’?
What I loved about it most was the ‘perseverance of the tree’ . Clearly with the support it was being given the tree was flourishing in spite of its apparent handicap . Who was the one who had felt the ache of an anchor calling out’ from the ground. Who was the one who did something’ to anchor it. What this one gardener did for a tree, God does for us crooked gnarly trees that we are’ ..and desires we do for another… Oh how many lessons are being taught here. I am like a broken tree _Job 19:10
Out of all the ‘ powerful one another’s’ phrases in the scriptures I thought Ephesians 4:2 .. said it best ’ bear with one another’