The Breath We Breathe

Isaiah 55:10-11

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

I love trees in every season; budding leaves, full shade, riots of color, and bare branches.

A magnificent maple tree stood, like a guard, by the end of our gravel driveway. That tree provided shelter for me as I waited on the school bus. In the summer, I'd play in the welcoming shade. No matter the season, the maple spread its massive branches overhead.

I remember looking up through the limbs at the gorgeous red and gold leaves as they danced in the sky. For a child, that was pure magic.

According to Botanical Gardens Conservation International there are more than 60,000 species of trees in the world. God created every one of them with purpose. In the spring, flowering trees like dogwood and redbud spread across the Appalachian Mountains. In summer and fall folks harvest fruit from apple, pear, banana, and coconut trees, to name a few. In winter, the evergreens provide shelter for cardinals and all their friends.

Most important, trees give us oxygen; the very breath we breath. They soak in the rain with their roots and reach toward the sky to the sun, in order to share their gift with us.

These beauties remind me to bury my roots deep in God's word. The Lord provides all the nourishment I need, through the scripture, his people, and his grace. As the oaks and palms do, I reach toward heaven, through prayer and praise to God's son, Jesus, then take a deep breath and inhale his love.

God gave every tree a purpose. If he cares that much about the forests, just think how much he loves us.