The towering spruce reached the sky and decorated my lawn for more than eight years.
One day, I noticed a slight bend in the tree’s stance. Weeks later, the spruce no longer filled the sky but exposed its roots. I begged the tree man, “Can’t you do anything to save the tree?” His reply, “Too far gone. The roots aren’t grounded anymore. It’s dying from the inside out.” For an agreed price, my beautiful tree became firewood. Perhaps I could have acted quicker to save my tree.
The experience pushed me to question my Christian walk. Do I ignore my Christian brother or sister as they begin to lean? Or even my own tilting? I knew dealing with the tree would cost me—so I ignored it.
Evaluating choices is a daily battle. Watching an inappropriate movie or laughing at an off-colored joke. Bad decisions weaken my stance and push me further from my Christian foundation. Sometimes I’m afraid of confronting a friend or family member by saying, “Hey, you are leaning.” But there are consequences of not acting quicker. I must also accept the message of others if they tell me I’m leaning. Nourishing our souls with God’s written Word is the only way we can survive the winds of life.
Value God’s approval more than you do the world’s approval.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Bobbie Bomar Brown is author of the book, The Unbreakable Cord. She enjoys journaling and uses that outlet to relate her harrowing ordeal as her daughter fights to survive a horrific car accident caused by a drunk driver. The mother of two, she now summers in the Rocky Mountains and winters in Arizona with her husband, Mike.