The Crooked Tree

 As I sit in my office and look out the windows, I see a beautiful, cloudless blue Idaho sky. I see plants that were naked and brown when we moved in, now lush and green, reaching for the sun. Questions about what they will look like are now being answered. Through the window, I have a clear view of a blue spruce on the front lawn. I call her, she, and named her the Crooked Tree. I am certain the winds, over time, have caused her to lean just slightly. Other than that, her trunk is solid and strong, and her branches are supple, their soft gray-green coloring a gentle contrast.

  The Crooked Tree houses doves and other small birds I have yet to identify. She has purpose. A couple of weeks ago, the wind caused her long, heavy branches to dance a little too wildly, and an empty nest fell from the tree. I placed it back on a branch, hoping the birds would make use of it. She protects her occupants as best she can; however, sometimes things are beyond her control.

  

   She stands firm in the wind, still useful, still imperfectly beautiful in her own way. She knows she is crooked, but it doesn’t matter because her trunk is solid and strong, holding her up.

  

   One day recently, as I observed the tree, in tears, it suddenly dawned on me that the Crooked Tree is me. The Crooked Tree is actually you and me. We are all slightly imperfect, doing the best we can in an imperfect world, held up by the rock-solid trunk, the Lord. Still growing, still dancing, still standing firm, yet leaning into what may come next, knowing our trunk is strong and faithful and “will uphold us with His righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). 

  

   Once upon a time, God made a tree. She was imperfect, yet she knew she had a purpose and was loved. She knew she could stand firm in the wind because of that love. She knew she was imperfectly beautiful in the Creator’s eyes. She was "a treasured possession of the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 3:16-17).

  

   The Crooked Tree is you and me. Our imperfect selves are loved and treasured perfectly by our perfect God. I encourage you to lean into that so you can stand firm in the wind.

Blessings from one Crooked Tree to another!  

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

“And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:9).