Massive trees, 100 feet in the air fill the city of Nairobi. It is a beautiful tropical jungle, colorful flowers, bushes, and greenery inhabit the streets. We are blessed to live near a horse stable, where there are gigantic trees in our back yard. The trees are taller than our house- and provide shade from the hot African sun.
Recently, the tallest tree in our backyard randomly lost a huge branch. Falling from about 100 feet from the top of the tree to the ground, our gardener, Patrick, told us about the accident. The branch fell on the wall behind our house, and thankfully no one was nearby or hurt! I honestly didn't think anything of it because it's been raining a lot recently, and I just figured the branch just wasn't strong enough or something... However, this was not the case.
Even though the tree was beautiful on the outside- covered with bright and vibrant green leaves, an enormously tall and strong trunk- this was not the case for the inside of the tree. Termites had devoured all the way up the trunk, and into the large branches that covered our house. Unbelievable! The next day, our landlord told us that there would be some workers to come and cut the tree down.
For the past day and a half, our backyard has been filled with about 20 men, repelling from our huge tree, with the loud sounds of chainsaws, branches hitting the ground hard, and sawdust flying everywhere. We even had lots of women visitors come and watch as the men cut down this impressively tall tree. Haha- it was quite the show!
But as I was thinking about how sad it was that we will no longer get to admire the beauty of this tree in our backyard, I also realized that the inside of the truck was nasty looking. Why would I want a rotten tree in our back yard? The trunk was rotting: black to the core, infested with thousands of termites, holes through and through.
Appearances are often times deceitful.
The tree, and this imagery, reminded me that as humans we tend to look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks at our hearts. Even though I thought this tree to be perfect on the outside, once I could take a closer look, I realized there was nothing good inside it.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16: 7
Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15: 1-4
I realize that it probably took an extremely long time for this tree to rot, for the termites to overtake it. Much like our hearts, they begin to harden gradually as sin takes over, and eventually we will fall over without the love and grace of Christ. But Christ's love is stronger and more powerful. He heals our hearts if we simply ask him.
We must remain in him. Apart from him we can do nothing.
Our hearts require examination.
We must take delight in him for our hearts to remain soft and beautiful, dependent upon his amazing grace.
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish."
Psalm 1
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