God help us
To rise up from our struggle.
Like a tree rises up from the soil.
Our roots reaching down to our trouble,
Our rich, dark dirt of existence.
Finding nourishment deeply
And holding us firmly.
Always connected.
Growing upwards and into the sun.
AMEN
***Excerpt from Michael Leunig's The Prayer Tree
I love the dichotomy of the tree. Half lives above ground, green and refreshing, drawing in the light to nourish the depths of it's soul. The other half lies in darkness, reaching out towards what it cannot see, probing for moisture, for something to grasp a hold of. And yet, one cannot live without the other. You take away the roots, and the tree no longer has the cool, moist darkness to reside in. Without the roots the tree would be unstable. And even so, if you take away the leaves, you take away the sunlight that it so desperately needs, shining down to nourish and protect. Without the leaves the tree would no longer be guided by the sun, the changing of seasons, the ushering of new growth. Psalms 1 says
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinner in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
God has created us with a dual nature, one in which we crave light and yet yearn for the depths of darkness. Only in the cool depths of darkness will our soul truly find rest, and only as we strive for light will the depths of our soul break free from the bondage of it's captivity. Maybe, in part, this is why we suffer. Suffering ushers the depths of our soul to the forefront of all we know, in all it's darkness, in all it's pain, in all it's glory. Without sorrow there would be no reason for joy. Without pain there would be no purpose for pleasure. We must live with both if we are to truly live.
