The Tree

I have been reading in Romans lately and just got stuck the other day on this image presented of a tree, and how we are little shoots that are attached near the roots at the bottom. Others may be the big natural branches, some of which have broken off and are no longer being fed from the roots because they aren't connected. It goes on to talk about how we, the little shoots attached to the roots should not be arrogant because of our attachment to the root because GOD is perfectly able to graft all broken branches back into their place.

I thought this was the coolest image ever. I immediately got this picture in my mind of this huge tree with branches and roots going every which way, most of which attached with stitches (the medical background coming into play). But what I really love about this is these branches are all connected and sustained by, first and foremost the root, but every branch and shoot is also connected to all of the others, intertwined in their existence. This is the epitome of community, of how we are called to live. We can't survive apart from our root, but we can live without other branches. But, we really shouldn't want to because it's painful to lose a limb and it throws the balance of the tree off. The reattachment hurts as well. The grafting requires scraping away of material that has gotten rotten and damaged to find a new, growing surface. But when that limb is returned to its place, the tree is made whole, the entire body of it flourishes, and its balance is restored.

This is not just for those we deem worthy of our tree. GOD has formed this tree, not me. I am just a little shoot, thankful to be sucking life from its roots.