Real tree thoughts
Hello everyone!!
It is December 12, 2013 today and I cant seem to get our real Christmas tree event out of my head.
This is not a post about promoting real or artificial trees. This is not a debate about you loving your artificial tree or you loving your real tree nor is it a post telling you are not doing the "right" thing with Christmas if you have an artificial tree!
This is simply my thoughts since last Christmas as I packed the fake tree away in the box.
I put our tree away last year and remember saying I am not taking it out again. It felt fake! It felt mechanical! It felt yucky! It was another task that had to get done. So... this year...
WE WENT OUT AS A FAMILY TO CUT DOWN THE REAL TREE!!!
Yes I was very excited and yes we did have a great time. We took pictures, I got a face wash, Our two boys tackled each other because someone put snow down someone's crack as he went to cut the tree down, yes it was quite real!
It went up very uneventful and I began to put the ornaments on and reminisce over each one and remember when I gave the ornament and what was happening that year. Monday morning I dipped my finger in the tree stand and was quite amazed on how much water it drank. Tuesday morning I fully thought that I would have to put just a little water in it but much to my amazement it was nearly dry.
As I began to pour 3 glasses of water in the stand it hit me what this real tree symbolized for me. Why had I been so adamant about having a real tree? Why did I not want the artificial tree up? I realized on the third trip to the faucet that a real tree takes "tending". I supposed I could have forgotten it needed water and found its needles on the floor within the week. I was tempted not to check the water on Tuesday morning, what if I would have done that?
This tree symbolized my own my faith more than ever. What if my Bible sat on its shelf much life a artificial tree sits looking pretty without needing an attention? How long till my needles fell off? Couldn't God just water me without me lifting a finger? After all my faith is not earned it is a gift! I wondered about this since the day we cut the tree down (Yes, I think too much)Well...
...last week I was reading I John 1:2 (ESV) where it talks about the fact that the life was made manifest to us. Manifest means to demonstrate or make clear or obvious. God made it clear and demonstrating how much he loved us by giving us His son, it kind of causes me to desire to tend my faith much like I need to "tend" to my Christmas tree.
Has he made His life manifest in you and given you a thirst to know about who He is and who you are?
It is December 12, 2013 today and I cant seem to get our real Christmas tree event out of my head.
This is not a post about promoting real or artificial trees. This is not a debate about you loving your artificial tree or you loving your real tree nor is it a post telling you are not doing the "right" thing with Christmas if you have an artificial tree!
This is simply my thoughts since last Christmas as I packed the fake tree away in the box.
I put our tree away last year and remember saying I am not taking it out again. It felt fake! It felt mechanical! It felt yucky! It was another task that had to get done. So... this year...
WE WENT OUT AS A FAMILY TO CUT DOWN THE REAL TREE!!!
Yes I was very excited and yes we did have a great time. We took pictures, I got a face wash, Our two boys tackled each other because someone put snow down someone's crack as he went to cut the tree down, yes it was quite real!
It went up very uneventful and I began to put the ornaments on and reminisce over each one and remember when I gave the ornament and what was happening that year. Monday morning I dipped my finger in the tree stand and was quite amazed on how much water it drank. Tuesday morning I fully thought that I would have to put just a little water in it but much to my amazement it was nearly dry.
As I began to pour 3 glasses of water in the stand it hit me what this real tree symbolized for me. Why had I been so adamant about having a real tree? Why did I not want the artificial tree up? I realized on the third trip to the faucet that a real tree takes "tending". I supposed I could have forgotten it needed water and found its needles on the floor within the week. I was tempted not to check the water on Tuesday morning, what if I would have done that?
This tree symbolized my own my faith more than ever. What if my Bible sat on its shelf much life a artificial tree sits looking pretty without needing an attention? How long till my needles fell off? Couldn't God just water me without me lifting a finger? After all my faith is not earned it is a gift! I wondered about this since the day we cut the tree down (Yes, I think too much)Well...
...last week I was reading I John 1:2 (ESV) where it talks about the fact that the life was made manifest to us. Manifest means to demonstrate or make clear or obvious. God made it clear and demonstrating how much he loved us by giving us His son, it kind of causes me to desire to tend my faith much like I need to "tend" to my Christmas tree.
Has he made His life manifest in you and given you a thirst to know about who He is and who you are?
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