Of Dead And Living Wood
Trees are remarkable. They pass nutrients to each other's roots -- are known to support nearby stumps for years; a wonder of God's Creation. And a lesson for us. The other day an unusual feature was noticed on a crepe myrtle tree: a branch that had been pruned but apparently fell among the other branches somehow has merged with a living one. The living one is now providing sustenance to what was a totally detached branch! Jesus hung from a "tree," bringing to us eternal nourishment.
The larger takeaway is that we too should bring life to others -- to those whose spirits, whose emotions, whose hopes and faith have been deadened. When someone is in depression, or trouble -- when the spirit of another has been "deadened" -- perhaps the lesson is how we can extend life to them.
On the other hand, we have to be careful that the wrong kind of dead wood does not attach to us and drain our energies (or contaminate our spirits).
In life, there is a great discernment: between what and whom should have our energies -- should be allowed to conjoin -- and what or who is dead wood that should be pruned. A key test: what and who bring us closer to God and what or who cause separation.
When we are the dead wood, it is God to Whom we should glom, tapping into His life-giving Force. God showed how He can take dead wood and bring it to life -- budding, blossoming, and producing fruit. He created the Tree of Life. He made Moses' staff bloom. He also cursed the fig tree for not producing fruit (Matthew 21:18). Are we producing for the Lord? Or are we just leaves? Are we concerned only with our outer appearances -- foliage -- or what is deepest within us?
Are we selfish or do we seek to join with God in bringing life to others?
What
the world offers is a deadened perception, tree hollows.
"The idols of the nations are silver and gold," says Psalms (135:15-17). "They have mouths but speak not; they have eyes but see not; they have ears but heard not, nor is there breath in their mouths."
So it is, during Lent, that we should seek to extend assistance to what and whom we should assist and distance ourselves from that which afflicts us -- should prune or shed "dead wood," especially the dead wood inside of us.
It is the time of year to prune dead branches and allow for better growth. Do you have a mindset that has become a trap? Are there habits or possessions and false idols weighing you down? Have you formulated plans and ideas that have attached themselves as the branch did? Are there notions you simply can't shake (including, perhaps, dreams of doing something you were not meant to do, or remaining near someone you were not meant to be joined with)? Is anger or lust or jealousy "wood" that bears mold and is decaying in your spirit? Are you draining someone else?
It takes energy for a tree to send water and food to the last living tips of otherwise dead limbs. The energy is wasted if the dead branch remains dormant.
God helps us with these determinations, asking us always to approach every situation with a key lens of discernment -- unconditional love. When love is flowing, so is Truth; the Tree of Life is extending its sap through us, healing what needs to be healed (in us and others). Fasting grants us the lens through which to see. It removes the "timber" from our eyes. With fasting, we prune what needs to be pruned and have the clarity of the desert.
[resources: In Sinu Jesu and A Life of Blessings; see also Chicago retreat]
[See also: Large Fig Tree Comes Crashing down]
