"Well,"
said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for
sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and
rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.
Shel Silverstein –The Giving Tree
I was walking with my husband the
other day and we came upon this tree growing out of the stump of another
tree. We stumble upon treasures
occasionally that can give us great insight to life. What does it mean to make room for new
growth? What does it mean to be able to
grow up and out of our past maintaining independence while surrounded by our
roots?
Look
at these amazing words from Romans (The Message)
Romans 14:1
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say
something you don’t agree with—even
when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith
department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them
gently.
--As a 50ish year old woman I have learned
to appreciate the shell of my family that I have come out of. Like most people I tried to lean far enough
this way or that, thinking it would enable me to separate myself from the past
but now I find comfort and security in the roots, the trunk that shores me up.
--As a parent I have had to
let go and make room for the growth of our own children so that they may feel
my presence while claiming their own place on this planet. Not always easy and often hard to watch.
There are times when my arms ache from keeping this circle wide, while there a
many times I enjoy the space it makes for all of us.
--As a pastor I think of the
church, the new trying to grow out of strong roots and the old trying (or not)
to make space for new growth. I have no
idea what this new church will look like, this church of the future but I do
know what the old church looked like (at least my old church) and it was
beautiful. Of course that is what makes this all so hard.
This old trunk has had to let go of
branches that reached far and wide, provided shelter and shade and
nourishment. Like the church, this old
tree let go slowly, some branches probably died and withered hanging on for a
lifetime and others must have come crashing down during a storm or two, still
vital so the separation was painful.
Each year fewer and fewer leaves, until one day this shell was left.
What does it mean for a
church to let go and make room? It means
less judgment, less comparing our own past to the future of others. It means
treating each other gently. The church is a living vessel, full of voices about
how things should be, or once were. What would it mean if we were the place for
rest and comfort for all those who are attempting to grow on their own? It can be painful to hold the circle wide
enough to make room for the new, the different, the unknown, but what blessings
could be ours if we did so?
Draw the Circle Wide by Gordon Light
Draw
the circle wide
Draw
it wider still
Let
this be our song
no
one stands alone,standing side by side,
Draw
the circle wide.
God
the still point of the circle
Round
whom all creation turns
Nothing
lost, but held forever
in God’s gracious arms.
