Wisdom From a Walnut

The relentless rain and powerful winds prove too much for me to resist. I step outside to see God’s work up close. The carport gives me shelter from the storm. A very young walnut tree sways back and forth. The winds so strong it looks like it will snap or uproot any second. Even when pushed to the limit, it “gives in” to the wind and effortlessly moves with it. The young tree is the product of a much older walnut tree standing tall right beside it. Amongst ferocious winds, the older tree hardly moves at all.

I awake the next morning to silence. The storm has passed. I step outside to my familiar spot under the carport and I see something that puzzles me. The young walnut tree stands tall while the much older walnut tree lays flat. Its mighty roots plucked from the earth. “How did that happen?” The young, “weaker” tree lives to see another day; while the older, “stronger” tree lives no more.

My, how my God loves and knows me. He loves me enough to give me His wisdom and knows me well enough to know how to do it. I’m an analyzer. “Wonder why” seems to be part of my make-up. I had to figure this out and He knew I would feel this way. I quiet my mind. I enter a state of total awareness, the essence of what I am. It becomes clear to me the young tree’s strength lies in its flexibility. It’s stronger because it’s weaker. It gives for no reason. It follows the rhythm of the wind and life. Even when pushed to the limit, it does not fight back. It flows naturally to what is given. The older tree does not give at all. It is unable to move with the wind. Therefore, there is resistance. The huge walnut tree with roots running deep proved no match for the storm. Its life lost because it was unable to give.

During the storms of my life and at all other times, I am a giver. I am flexible. I flow naturally with those around me. I peacefully exist in the moment I am given. Even when pushed to the limit, I remain calm. This is my strength. This is the way of my life.

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