A grove of trees stands
at the end of our driveway. Two stately Poplars are among them. They
are adorned with yellow flowers in the spring after a bare-branched winter and called Tulip Poplars.
Poplars
can grow up to 165 feet high. I estimate our two Poplars are at least 100 feet
high and stand with straight trunks. Poplars also grow deep roots spreading out
up to 130 feet in diameter.
Poplars have an
interesting history. Ancient Romans planted Poplars in meeting areas and thus
the Latin name for people, “Populus,” was born. Roman soldiers used the wood
for battle shields and in contrast, Poplar wood was used in later centuries to
build organs. Today, Poplar wood still has many uses including making pallets,
snowboards, guitars and drums. It’s an impressive tree that reflects important
spiritual lessons.
When we ask the
Lord Jesus to dwell in our lives, He helps us to develop deep roots in our
faith. If we tend our roots hand in Hand with Him, we will cultivate a strong,
rooted network that will carry us through the most destructive winds of life. We fertilize our good spiritual roots with Bible familiarity, authentic
fellowship with the Lord and other believers. We add ways to serve others by
rooting up our selfish natures and seek extra help when we face a problem or
challenge that inhibits our maturity.
Like the Poplars and other trees, growing
time is part of the process. Sometimes, as we
grow older and “taller,” the obstacles grow too. The winds of life buffet us.
We may lose some branches, and sometimes, like the Poplar, the leaves of our
lives fall off in a deep time of sorrowful winters. We wonder if the spring
will return yet counting on the Lord to re-grow and rebuild us, Spring returns.
Akin to the Poplars,
the Lord endows us with usefulness in our time here on earth.
The ancient Roman
shields of wood can become shields of prayerful protection when the enemy
attacks us with doubt and pain. With God’s enabling, we carve out the “wood” of
our lives with love and service. And although our “wood” may be a pallet not a
guitar, each is important.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
