The Lesson of the Maple Tree

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. – Col 2.6,7 

Linda enjoyed her day yesterday by weeding our various garden plots. She loves the neat, well weeded, almost manicured look for our flower gardens.  I, on the other hand, prefer the wild side of things and enjoy the bull thistle that is as big as a man growing in the middle of our wild-flowers!  One thing that is the bane of both of us, however, are the maple trees!

We are surrounded by several mature soft maple trees that our crazy neighbors have, for one reason or another, allowed to grow unheeded in their yards.  I have to admit that they are grand and glorious in appearance and they provide wonderful shade.  Every spring, however, for several days on end they provide a literal storm of seeds (those helicopter things) that blanket the ground like snow.  Those seeds are quite remarkable things.  They have been designed by God so that with the assistance of even a gentle breeze catching the “wing” part of the seed, or the vibration of a man walking by, the heavy end of the “helicopter” works its way downward until the tip of it comes in contact with the soil.  Then we have trouble!!!  That bugger begins to grow, thrusting its root quickly and deeply into the earth. 

If  we want to keep them out of the gardens we must hand pick hundreds … perhaps thousands of them while they are less than two or three inches in height.  I am amazed, however, how difficult it is to pull one from the ground if they get much taller than that.  They are spindly looking things and one would think they would pull easily but … not so!  It is hard work!  I found one yesterday that was about 7 or 8 inches tall at most.  I grabbed it with two leather gloved hands and pulled.  All the leaves came off, leaving the stem still standing proudly and totally un-moved.  The problem is the root system.  Tap roots develop quickly and thrust deeply into the soil.  Soon the root system develops and holds tenaciously to ground, resisting remarkably well any effort to dislodge it.  Baby maple trees … frustrate the two legged human storms that relentlessly seek to dislodge them.  If we don’t succeed they will become grand and glorious maple trees, sending forth their own fruit to impact the next generation of people that walk the earth.  It’s amazing!

Where is your taproot?  How do you fare in the storms of life?  Are you easily dislodged, loosing not only your leaves but being entirely uprooted and broken loose from your moorings?  My aspiration is to maintain roots that are rooted in Him who is my Savior.  Only then will I be able to be built up and established in the faith … until He comes!  How about You?