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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Trees (12/05/05)
The day was dark wet and lonely.
It was gloomy too- far from the sunny images I had conjured up of how ones day of baptism should be. I felt the familiar surge of doubt pass through my body and gather in the pit of my stomach, just waiting to give me the urge to bolt.
"How have I got myself into this again" I muttered under my breath, half hoping my fiancé could hear me. Maybe I could just tell him I was ill? Would he buy it? Sigh, I didn't want to hurt him. He was so excited about me joining " the fellowship of Christ" and I couldn't bear to put a frown on the face of that beautiful man. Again....
We had been through this a mere 6 months earlier and the outcome had been disastrous…I had literally run from the waters edge just as my turn for the "dunking" was called. It was as if another force had taken hold of my physical controls and put me into fight or flight mode
I ran as if I was running for my life, sweating, chest heaving, and heart pounding- running.
I stopped only when I ran by one of the most majestic looking trees I had ever seen - a big ole friend in a sea of strangers I sat under it and sobbed buckets of tears into the trunk feeling an almost kinship with its quiet strength.
Why couldn't I believe as they did? Why was Jesus " the friend to all" such a far away figure to me?
I ran my fingers lightly over the redwood bark in absolute awe of its size and beauty. I had first heard of these immense trees when a little know pagan woman named Julia Butterfly Hill had done a "tree sit": remaining in a giant redwood for over 2 years in protest of a California logging companies immoral business practices. I remember the incredible events that had led up to her changing her life-The near fatal car crash and a sudden intense spiritual experience telling her to go and devote her life to what she believed in. She had said of how the tree she named "Luna" had "talked" to her during this time and I held this image close now, crying my sorrows into my own Luna, wishing it had a message for me!
Suddenly the image of a blood drenched young man crossed my mind: Jesus died on the cross-made of WOOD! Wood came from Trees----RIGHT??? I felt a sharp blast of warmth all through my body and I saw that indeed this tree too had a tale to tell. Images of Jesus hanging nearly dead- nailed to a tree…. Had the wood soaked His tears up as it was doing with mine today? Had he felt any comfort at all while they hurled insults at Him? Oh God how He loved me! He died for me! This Tree was his creation as was the entire world! Revelation after revelation flooded my thirsty mind and soul…I was forever changed…it was as if my DNA had been re-arranged by Love.
All these thoughts came into my heart again now on this gloomy day. Fear was replaced by a heart pounding love. I felt power flow right where doubt used to be and I stood up calmly and gently. I took my fiancé's hand in mine, whispered "I love you" and we walked together towards the water and the light.
Thank you my Tree of life.
Thank you Jesus!
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Laura Vander Velden
12/12/05
I enjoyed this! A powerful testimont1 Thanks for sharing!
Crista Darr
12/13/05
Good story! Instead of telling us the day was "dark, wet, gloomy," show us. Using one topic per paragraph will help the read. Keep up the good work :)
Karen Heslink
12/16/05
Very powerful story. The sentence about your DNA had been rearranged...what an amazing image.Well done.
Kris St. James
12/19/05
Interesting story. A tad rough on grammar and punctuation, but minor details that can easily be fixed. I was a little lost on your mentioning the "pagan" woman. It sounded as if you agreed with her "tree" philosophy, which definately contradicts a Christian view, but I may have not read it closely enough. You might want to check that point out, though. I don't think you'd want even a casual reader (like me) to get that idea. I think more descriptive details would have been nice, but a good story overall.