Liberty Tree Parable
The Parable of the Tree
Many of life’s experiences create opportunities for personal growth and learning. It is interesting how God can take an ordinary experience and use it to teach true principles by drawing our attention to parallels and comparisons. Such was the opportunity our family had while caring for a tree that was struggling to stay alive. Little did I know at the time that this experience would later serve as a parable to guide me through a healing process in my own heart. This model has established within me a hope and confidence in correct principles that heal the individual soul, perhaps these same principles can be applied to heal the heart and soul of a nation.
My husband and I moved to Minnesota shortly after we were married. It was here that we moved into our first home. After moving in, we planted our first tree. It was a Marshal Ash. We planted it in the front yard, close to the street. I remember how fascinated we were with watching the tree grow. Every year we would care for and fertilize it. Each season, we would frequently take a yard stick out to measure the new growth. We would sit under the tree and enjoy the shade it provided.
Then in the fall of 1991, after four years of watching our tree grow, Minnesota experienced what will be forever remembered as the “Halloween blizzard.” It was the first significant snowfall of the year, leaving 30" of snow in a 24 hour period of time. The snow plows came through to clear the streets, leaving a large snow bank next to our curb and completely surrounding the base of our tree. That storm was followed by the “Thanksgiving Blizzard” that once again left record breaking amounts of snow and added to an even larger snow bank around the base of the tree.
In Minnesota, winters are typically long and cold. The temperatures usually remain below freezing until the spring thaw. Consequently, the snow that had been dropped in those early snow storms remained there until spring. After the driveway and sidewalk was clear, we accepted the large snow bank as a part of the front yard for the next several months. Our children enjoyed playing on them and watching the ever increasing size of their sledding hill with each additional snow storm.
Then spring came, the snow melted and we discovered that some small animals had taken refuge from the cold at the base of the snow bank. The voles seemed to wreak havoc in many yards that year. The bark of our tree became the food supply for the winter for one family of voles. As we looked at the damage to the tree, we saw that it had been completely girdled. A 10 inch gap of bare trunk had been exposed. What did this mean for our tree?
As we researched, we learned that the nutrients flow just under the bark of the tree. The life line of the tree had been completely severed. The branches would not get the strength from the root, the leaves would soon wither, our shade would be lost, and our tree would eventually die.
We were left to question, is there anything that can be done to save our tree? We made phone calls to the local nurseries and county extension to see if there was anything we could do. We learned about a grafting procedure called a “bridge graft.” We could cut last year’s best growth off the ends of the branches and then graft them into the trunk at the top and bottom of the gap, creating a bridge for the nutrients to flow through. If the graft was successful, the small branches would swell, creating new bark for the tree.
In our research we also learned that though the leaves were few in number, they played a critical role in healing. For these leaves collected energy from the sun to provide nourishment to the root.
My husband, Dale, devoted much time and effort as he carefully followed the instructions that had been given. He followed the grafting procedure with exactness. Then, we waited and watched. That year the leaves on our tree were very sparse. To the person just passing by, unaware of the stress that the tree was under, the few leaves were an indicator that the tree was dying. Some may prematurely determine that it would be best to cut it down and start over. Even the experts were skeptical about whether the procedure would work or not. But we remained hopeful.
We loved our tree and didn’t want to start over so we decided to make the tree’s survival a matter of prayer. It was our faith that the Lord who is the creator all things, and yet notices even a sparrows fall, would certainly be able to heal our tree.
We patiently waited and prayed as time passed. The leaves were sparse for a couple of seasons. The strength remaining in the tree was used for healing. And then the first signs of new growth began to appear. It worked! It really worked! We felt so much gratitude as we watched the grafted branches swell. Eventually, the tree produced more leaves creating shade for us to enjoy. Once again, throughout the season we could measure the new growth.
Over the years the tree has continued to grow to full maturity. It is healthy and strong. The grafted branches have swollen and new bark has been created. The only indication that it ever struggled is a small scar that remains where the graft had taken place. A token reminder of the lessons learned and the reason our tree had survived.
Many of life’s experiences create opportunities for personal growth and learning. It is interesting how God can take an ordinary experience and use it to teach true principles by drawing our attention to parallels and comparisons. Such was the opportunity our family had while caring for a tree that was struggling to stay alive. Little did I know at the time that this experience would later serve as a parable to guide me through a healing process in my own heart. This model has established within me a hope and confidence in correct principles that heal the individual soul, perhaps these same principles can be applied to heal the heart and soul of a nation.
My husband and I moved to Minnesota shortly after we were married. It was here that we moved into our first home. After moving in, we planted our first tree. It was a Marshal Ash. We planted it in the front yard, close to the street. I remember how fascinated we were with watching the tree grow. Every year we would care for and fertilize it. Each season, we would frequently take a yard stick out to measure the new growth. We would sit under the tree and enjoy the shade it provided.
Then in the fall of 1991, after four years of watching our tree grow, Minnesota experienced what will be forever remembered as the “Halloween blizzard.” It was the first significant snowfall of the year, leaving 30" of snow in a 24 hour period of time. The snow plows came through to clear the streets, leaving a large snow bank next to our curb and completely surrounding the base of our tree. That storm was followed by the “Thanksgiving Blizzard” that once again left record breaking amounts of snow and added to an even larger snow bank around the base of the tree.
In Minnesota, winters are typically long and cold. The temperatures usually remain below freezing until the spring thaw. Consequently, the snow that had been dropped in those early snow storms remained there until spring. After the driveway and sidewalk was clear, we accepted the large snow bank as a part of the front yard for the next several months. Our children enjoyed playing on them and watching the ever increasing size of their sledding hill with each additional snow storm.
Then spring came, the snow melted and we discovered that some small animals had taken refuge from the cold at the base of the snow bank. The voles seemed to wreak havoc in many yards that year. The bark of our tree became the food supply for the winter for one family of voles. As we looked at the damage to the tree, we saw that it had been completely girdled. A 10 inch gap of bare trunk had been exposed. What did this mean for our tree?
As we researched, we learned that the nutrients flow just under the bark of the tree. The life line of the tree had been completely severed. The branches would not get the strength from the root, the leaves would soon wither, our shade would be lost, and our tree would eventually die.
We were left to question, is there anything that can be done to save our tree? We made phone calls to the local nurseries and county extension to see if there was anything we could do. We learned about a grafting procedure called a “bridge graft.” We could cut last year’s best growth off the ends of the branches and then graft them into the trunk at the top and bottom of the gap, creating a bridge for the nutrients to flow through. If the graft was successful, the small branches would swell, creating new bark for the tree.
In our research we also learned that though the leaves were few in number, they played a critical role in healing. For these leaves collected energy from the sun to provide nourishment to the root.
My husband, Dale, devoted much time and effort as he carefully followed the instructions that had been given. He followed the grafting procedure with exactness. Then, we waited and watched. That year the leaves on our tree were very sparse. To the person just passing by, unaware of the stress that the tree was under, the few leaves were an indicator that the tree was dying. Some may prematurely determine that it would be best to cut it down and start over. Even the experts were skeptical about whether the procedure would work or not. But we remained hopeful.
We loved our tree and didn’t want to start over so we decided to make the tree’s survival a matter of prayer. It was our faith that the Lord who is the creator all things, and yet notices even a sparrows fall, would certainly be able to heal our tree.
We patiently waited and prayed as time passed. The leaves were sparse for a couple of seasons. The strength remaining in the tree was used for healing. And then the first signs of new growth began to appear. It worked! It really worked! We felt so much gratitude as we watched the grafted branches swell. Eventually, the tree produced more leaves creating shade for us to enjoy. Once again, throughout the season we could measure the new growth.
Over the years the tree has continued to grow to full maturity. It is healthy and strong. The grafted branches have swollen and new bark has been created. The only indication that it ever struggled is a small scar that remains where the graft had taken place. A token reminder of the lessons learned and the reason our tree had survived.