The seed is planted. The tiny little capsule that houses great potential is placed down into the porous earth and patted still.
The seed is watered. The water seeps in around the little seemingly dead shell and provides needed moisture.
In time, the kernel germinates. The miracle of reproduction has begun as designed by the Creator, and slowly new growth forges out from the cracked pod reaching for the surface.
As the sun shines on the tiny seedling, the plant pushes up towards it. Little by little the seedling develops. Its roots sprout downwards to gain ground and the top of the plant reaches upward towards the sun. It is interesting to note that the root system for a tree is usually 1.5 times the crown of the tree. It takes a strong foundational anchoring network to assure that the tree gathers nutrition and stands firm even in strong storms.
Trees differ greatly in how fast they grow depending on their species and climate. Some trees in the heat of the equator can grow over five meters in a year while other trees in colder climates grow much slower.
The Tree – An Uncommon Illustration
The Lord uses the visual of a tree in Scripture. A physical illustration can help us understand abstract ideas. There are so many parallels between the structure and functions within a tree and the spiritual life, that one almost wonders whether God created trees chiefly for that purpose.
In Psalm 1, David describes a man delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night, like a tree whose roots drink from a nearby river. This tree produces fruit in its season without the leaves ever withering. In Jeremiah 17, the man whose trust is the Lord is like a tree that flourishes even in heat.
“rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.“
Colossians 2:3
The th(i)nkful logo is a tree. I chose that logo because it is only possible to think and express thanks when a person is fully rooted in the belief that God is sovereign and can trust His character to do what is best in our lives. Only when resting in His promises, can we confidently choose to download grace/strength to think thanks in every circumstance we face.
Th(i)nkful (adj) describing people who choose to download grace/strength from the Lord to think thanks about every circumstance in their life and to express that thanks orally or in written form.
Debbie, Roxanne, and I served together in South Africa. We are all biblical counselors that seek to speak truth into counseling situations that God gives us. We get together online since we are now often on three different continents, and pray together and give each other good resource ideas to help with new challenges.
Recently, one of us had someone dear go through a difficult challenge. Hard circumstances were flooding this person’s life. The difficulties were not easy to fix, but she was confident she could trust our Lord’s sovereign plan. Then, she came across a great tool – a Gratitude Tree.
This is actually a product that you can purchase online. You put together the plywood pieces for the trunk and branches. You then use the green slips of paper to write down things for which you are thankful and place them on the little tree form. What a great idea, especially for moms and teachers! After some time, the little tree has lots of green, thankful leaves that produce a visual of the many things you are thinking thanks for.
I wanted to write and highlight this idea because I am always looking for ways to help people develop th(i)nkfulness. Sharing clever ways can inspire someone to action. Maybe you?
You don’t need to order the Gratitude Tree, but how are you promoting gratitude in your family? You could design and make something yourself. The beauty about using a tree visual is that it illustrates that it is a process. Just like how the tree has to be firmly rooted and connected to life-giving resources to produce leaves, so we have to be rooted firmly in our trust that God is in control and has “got this.” It is then that we can choose to think thanks about our current situation in light of our dear Saviour’s work in our life through our pain.
The Tree – Your Spiritual and Mental Health
So if you were to describe your level of gratitude as a tree, how would that tree look? Do you have a healthy brain neural pathway in place that kicks in with thankfulness when the storms of life come your way? Are you daily nurturing a good root system in God’s Word and His character for your gratitude tree so it can be put into action quickly?
We don’t have to develop thankfulness just for self-improvement, although that would be an admirable objective in and of itself. We strive to think thanks as a spiritual discipline in obedience to our God who has the goal of conforming us to the image of His Son. As our Creator, He has exhorted us to give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians 5:18).
“Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority but you never act on it, then you don’t really want it. It’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations.”
th(i)nkful 