6/21/2023

Having lived in Arizona for a long time and now living in the Midwest, I am amazed by what I see in nature. While Arizona is beautiful in many ways, I would not say that you can hug the vegetation. While I was at Luther Seminary in MN, I noticed a tree that had little bunches of leaves sticking out the sides. I wondered about them and as I investigated I saw little tentacles coming out of the trees. I thought about John 15: 1-3  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."(NIV) 

It made me think of how God grafts us in. Nourishes us. Feeds us and how we grow. From a distance, I saw these bunches all the way up the tree and I thought of how God has nourished those who have come before us and how God tends us now. A true arborist might want to cut those bunches off but I see God glimpses in how God cares for us in those bunches on the tree.  

Question: As you go through your day,  notice where your feet walk. If you can take off your shoes and feel the ground. Where are or in what are you rooted?