Years ago, I was pruning an old willow tree at the end of my backyard, when I noticed a huge limb that didn’t appear as productive as the others. It appeared out of place. I decided I should get rid of this ugly old branch once and for all, so I pulled out the old chainsaw. Within a few minutes, the surgery had been completed. It is amazing how nice the tree looked without the old, disfigured branch. I stood back and admired my work like Rembrandt or Picasso — it was a work of art (perhaps minus the artists’ genius!)
A few months went by, and a heavy storm struck our area. When we woke up the next morning, my beautiful willow had a huge branch which had broken off. It took two landscapers an entire day to cut up the broken branch and remove the debris. After they had finished, a huge chunk was now missing near the bottom of the old willow. I thought the tree would look like new, but the large scar remained. My willow was no longer a beautiful tree.
After the work was completed, one landscaper pointed out a space he found on the tree. It was the spot where I had previously removed the large limb. He asked me when I cut it, and I told him the time frame. He explained that the limb I had removed had provided balance for the tree. Once it had been removed, the support necessary for the old willow to withstand the storm was no longer there, causing part of the tree to topple. Unbeknownst to me, I had removed the very branch my tree needed.
Life Is Like the Old Willow Tree
Life is much like my experience with the old willow tree. Often our moral values become like the old, odd branch in our lives. The things we once held sacred such as the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage, and — most importantly — a relationship with our Lord now seem old fashioned and out of place. As a result, our vulnerabilities to sin have left us broken and exposed.
We think we are making our society better by removing the branches which seem like restrictions on our happiness, only to find they were the very supports which kept our society from falling!
The old willow may never grow another limb big enough to provide support for itself, but we can be reconnected with our life support when we allow Christ to take His rightful place as the Foundation of our lives!
By Dr. L.W. Edwards
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