Day Twenty “My Sick Tree”
I admit it, I’m a landscaping junkie. All rehab and recovery attempts have failed, it’s hopeless, I’m addicted to fussing with the appearance of our yard. When we moved into our home nearly forty years ago, the property was void of any decent landscaping, and that would never do! I set my heart on the project almost immediately. Raising a young family on a tight budget doesn’t leave much spare change to waste on plants, but I did what I could with the money at hand. Every year, I would rummage through our local Kmart’s clearance plants, always finding a wilted azalea or rhododendron that we could take home and salvage (with some loving care). Eventually, those little, scrawny plants grew, surrounding our little nest with a homey warmth and a burst of color.
With the front yard under control, it was time to move on to those overgrown fruit trees in the back yard, which had to go! Fortunately for us, volunteers from a local Bible college removed the trees free of charge, allowing us the freedom of filling the yard with trees and shrubs of our own choosing-maples, birches, magnolias, lilacs-all special to me, each lovingly planted and tended. Then without warning, it happened. I noticed that one tree was gradually dying, with more wilted branches appearing every year. I tried to ignore the problem, but it soon became evident that my tree was in trouble and professional help was needed. The diagnosis: this huge, fully-mature tree that watched my children grow and provided cooling shade for years had fallen victim to a tiny fungus in the soil, verticullium wilt, and that fungus would eventually kill that tree. Once the fungus invades the sap of the tree, there is nothing that can stop the process. The tree will die.
It’s like that with sin, especially those so-called “little” sins, the envy, gossip, bitterness, anger, covetousness. Sometimes no one sees them, we keep them hidden so well. But they are doing their damage, that “little leaven” is at work, corrupting “the whole lump.” Once Satan gets a foothold and begins to contaminate your soil, the whole tree will suffer, destroying your Christian walk, your testimony, your peace. Be aware of those little bugs, for there is great peril if they are not immediately confessed and forsaken. If we continue to cover them, God’s Word warns us that we “shall not prosper,” but if we confess them we “shall have mercy.” Fumigate your life with the Word of God daily, walk closely with the Spirit of God, and protect your soil. If we nourish our lives consistently in the pure river of His Word, those little sins will not have an opportunity to grow. Don’t let a little fungus loose in your life!
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Lord, help me to protect my soil by keeping my focus on Your Word. Help me be like that tree that grows and prospers, and bears fruit for You. Keep me aware of those small sins that fester, unknown to others perhaps, but reeking havoc in my life.
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