A TINY SEED

During the third hour of shivering in sub-zero degree wind chills, a flock of sparrows landed in a nearby tree. I had been watching two squirrels chase each other up and down those leafless branches an hour earlier. I watched the squirrels, but failed to really see the tree until the sparrows sat perched in its gnarly branches calling into the frigid winter afternoon. I had not seen a deer, but the tree suddenly intrigued me.

What came to me was not something I did not already know. It was not particularly profound, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment. It was like reading a familiar Bible passage for the tenth time and it suddenly speaks so plainly and directly to you that it is like you are reading it for the first time.

I stared at the big black walnut tree and then glanced around at all the other trees--some of them black walnuts, some of them other species. At a quick glance they all look alike, but a mere quick inspection reveals how unique each one of them is. My first thought was the amazing creativity of each one. I noticed each one had knots and different imperfections. I noticed some of them had broken branches and a few were toppled over.

I realized how each tree as it grows develops at a different pace, undergoes different hardships, and has to battle the elements in slightly different ways. I marveled that each one of these creations started from a single seed that sprouted roots. Those roots then discovered their way into the earth's foundation. I realized that the roots of each individual tree must be strong and solidified in good soil to withstand the wind and the storms and the harsh winters in order to come back stronger the next spring. Then, if the tree continues to grow and mature maybe it can produce a seed that, with help, may find the right soil and the right conditions and someday sprout a root which may find a solid foundation. Then after many springs and winters it may one day rise to great heights where birds and squirrels may find rest.

I did eventually see a deer that day. It passed beneath the big black walnut tree then passed within five steps of my location--a makeshift blind inside shallow ditch. After I sat in awe of one of God's other marvelous creatures, my focus returned to the walnut tree. I noticed its knots and its imperfections and its broken branches and its low branches that been cut off to open a shooting lane. Maybe it was in just those imperfections that God considered the tree perfect and unique.

For a moment, as I stared I wondered if I was looking more at a mirror than at a tree. And I wondered if God not only loved me despite my imperfections but because of them.  I wondered if He allowed the winter  and the wind and the storms to help shape my imperfections precisely because He loves me. And I realized that even if I may do my best to break away from His soil or shudder when a bird comes to find rest, that He still loves me and He will allow me to grow and maybe someday even  allow me to plant one of His seeds.

Despite the sub-zero wind chills of that afternoon, I felt warm.