Next month will mark seventeen years since we made this house our home. The house was about three years old when we moved in. In the front yard stood a wee live oak. The previous owners cut the main trunk of the tree at its top, and we weren’t sure the tree would survive. 

Today, that tree’s canopy shades our entire front yard. It prevents the blazing summer sun from overheating the glass doors to our dining room and the front door. It is a beautiful gift of God.

Trees tell stories of abundance and drought. They bear scars and deliberate wounds. They display the drama of life through the seasons of the year and the progression of generations. Each tree has its own story. 

What story do your trunk, limbs, and leaves tell? How does your canopy declare the glory of God? What blessed shade do you provide? How do you enrich the beauty of your home with your mere presence?

Trees are often used to tell the stories of families and other relationships. Consider the branches of your life: family and friends, coworkers and acquaintances, and those you meet along the way day by day. How do you extend the grace of God to each? How do you enrich their opportunities to know and experience God? 

Ponder where you are planted. God place you there for a purpose. He planted you to declare his glory, to help people see how good he is. How does your kindness and consideration lead them ever nearer to his heart?

I’m not a tree hugger. I do love God’s handiwork displayed through trees and wildflowers, green grass, and blooming vines. God’s good gifts in nature draw attention to how he decorates our world. They point toward an even more beautiful world to come.

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I will celebrate God’s beauty in nature and how it leads our hearts to his own.

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Our Father, you have created a beautiful world. Thank you. Make us good stewards of what you have placed around us. May we join you in beautifying our surroundings and strengthening the soul of those who need to see you for who you are. Amen.