Only you

I’ve always loved trees. They’re wonderful for climbing, resting, and/or napping in a hammock on a blissful Sunday afternoon.

“Mom, how tall can a tree grow?”
“It can grow for a long time,” she responded.
The child pondered a bit more…”Really? A tree can grow forever?”
"I suppose, dear." she replied.

“As it ages, the roots start to bury deeper into the ground.” She continued.
“Well I guess you have to water it a lot then?” questioned the child.

“No, the roots settle deep enough to gather it’s own supply of water in the ground…in fact, it’s when it is begins growing that you have to water it often because the roots are not deep enough to gather their own supply.” she answered.

It’s interesting how trees grow and keep growing…in fact you never know when it stops until years and years later when you can check out the rings on it or however they discover tree age. It remains such a mystery.

Where do they draw their supply from?
What about us?
What about our supply source?

My voice student talked about her recent epiphany about running track again. It had been her passion for so long. She took a year off because everyone kept pressuring her to pursue it professionally. They kept predicting her life for her and telling her that she was wasting her talents with quitting.

You know, I feel this is the same for faith. A constant pressuring of “you’re wasting your time falling out like this, you’re wrong and I’m right, if only you believed this then your life would be better, why don’t you understand, this is a serious mistake you are making.” See these things don’t communicate an understanding whatsoever. Similar to my student’s reaction to people’s responses to her decision in regards to quitting track, the human heart completely shuts off to such thoughts.

After a year, she had time to think over it, thoughts of running had been on her mind for a long time and she made the decision to do track again...on her own. She did realize however that a year off set her back physically but it did not set her passion back at all. In fact, it increased it. Her heart and mind are straight on the path again. Plain and simple, she wants it.

I couldn’t help but think about faith in terms like this. It starts as a want, a desire. Not the actions, people telling you what to do, the script of going to religious services and being super involved, doing the “right” thing…it’s easy to miss this point.

It’s a heart/mind desire and I believe this to be one of the greatest things God’s given man—the ability to have such passions and be moved by them where it affects you entire life, your actions, your outlook.

Have you thought much about your passion lately?
Your source?
Your supply?

Are one of those trees still growing or in desperate need to water supply? No one knows if you are still growing or not…only you do. Think about it.

Still growing,
C

P.S. Picture from Sulis