(A story about loving Jesus more than anything, and needing Him alone.)
She loved trees. She loved absolutely everything about them. And she liked different trees for different reasons. Some for their aroma. Some for their shade. Some for their colorful leaves. Some just for their sheer beauty. But her very favorite were the climbing trees.
One day she took a walk with her Best Friend. They often enjoyed a stroll together, enjoying the beauty that surrounded them. This Friend had, in fact, planted the gardens and the flowers and shrubs and trees and created the lovely place that they enjoyed together. It was an enormous amount of land that He had cultivated and grown and there was no possible way that she would ever be able to experience it all. But she was willing to give it every effort and try.
On this particular day, He took her to a special tree. It was one of a kind. And it was her favorite type – a climbing tree! She let out a deep sigh when she saw it. It was beautiful. It’s strong and sturdy branches were perfect for climbing. The leaves that graced those branches were unique and lovely beyond words. It’s rough bark ideal for gripping and holding on. She walked towards it and held out her hand to touch it. Clearly, this was her tree. As her fingers moved around the massive trunk, her arms embraced the tree. She closed her eyes and breathed in its glorious scent.
Her Friend smiled, pleased that she liked her newfound tree. He had spent much time nurturing it into what it had become. He was proud of this tree and was glad that its beauty was appreciated and celebrated.
The girl reached for the first branch, pulling herself onto it. She sat there for a little while and just enjoyed dangling her bare feet in the cool breeze and enjoying the tree’s sweet shade. She hummed a simple tune and her Friend hummed with her. This was contentment.
But curiosity got the best of her and she stood on the branch to reach for the next. She carefully stretched from her tippy toes. Her Friend cautioned her to be careful to not lose her footing. She hoisted herself up to the next level of limbs, surrounded by leaves. Mmmmmmm! She drew in another deep breath. The smell was intoxicating and made her slightly dizzy. There was a feeling of safety in this tree. It was all encompassing, like a giant hug. She hung from the next branch, arms fully extended, legs swinging. She heard her Friend call out a warning, but the song she was whistling made it difficult to understand.
Feeling brave, she continued her climb. The bark felt good on her bare feet as her toes dug in. She looked up and could see a cloudless sky peeking through the canopy of leaves above her. She couldn’t help but giggle. She had become one with the tree. She could live up here forever. So far away from worry and pain. From stress and busyness. This was her paradise. Straddling the next branch, she leaned back against the powerful, steady trunk. She closed her eyes and began to sing. And as the wind blew through the leaves and branches, the tree seemed to be singing along with her. They created a beautiful harmony. A harmony so seemingly perfect, that it drowned out the sound of her Friend’s voice calling her to come back down and join Him. The voice that was telling her that the wind was soon to become a storm. But she was oblivious to His words.
She was nearly to the top and she knew that she had to touch that final branch. To reach the part of the tree that no one had ever been to. The branches at this level were much smaller, and she realized that to get to the top she would have to shimmy up the trunk. So she wrapped herself around her tree. With everything in her she worked her way to the top, body, mind and soul involved in the process. And just as she stretched her weary arm to touch that last branch, she let out a shout of sheer joy. She loved her tree. She was on top of the world!
But before she could grab hold of that last limb, the sky darkened. The gentle wind worked up into a blustering gale. For the first time, fear gripped her heart. She looked down from the glorious tree to find the face of her Friend. But in the dark, she couldn’t see him. She strained to hear His sweet voice, but the wind whipping all around her was all that her ears could hear. She clung to her tree with all her might. It was strong and could carry her through the storm. But it began to sway as well and she knew she was in a precarious position.
She heard a cry and realized it was her own. Tears streamed down her face. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to hear from her Friend, but she knew that she had not heeded His warnings and what He would tell her to do. He would tell her to come down. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t. She was too afraid. The storm would pass. She would just hang on to her tree. It wouldn’t let her down. She wiped her nose against her sympathetic tree and held tight.
The storm did pass. Relief came over her. The tree stood firm once again, and she could sit again in its branches. The wind died down. The sun came up. Life was good again.
But then she heard a familiar voice. It was her Friend. He was still at the base of the tree, waiting for her, calling to her gently. He looked up at her and smiled, telling her to come to him, that there was more of His garden that He wanted her to see. She was torn. She was sure that the rest of His creation was beautiful and wonderful. But she knew this tree. It had become a part of her. It fit her in every way. What if she didn’t want to come down?
Her Friend then began to sing. This wasn’t fair. He knew her so well. He knew that she couldn’t resist singing in harmony with Him. He sang of His love for her and her voice quietly joined his. Still, she held firmly to her tree, willing herself to memorize all that it was.
The words of her Friend’s song began to change. And she realized that he was wooing her. He called to her to jump into His loving arms. To let go and trust that He would catch her. But she was up so high, it didn’t feel safe to jump. In fact it felt terrifying. Still, His song was enchanting and she wanted to follow it. She let go for an instant, just long enough to catch her feet on a branch and grab again with her trembling hands. Slight progress.
She looked down and saw her Friend. He was still singing, louder this time, as if to reassure her of His strength and ability to catch her. Slowly, she inched her fingers from their grip on the branch and fell three more inches before landing, butt first, on a sturdy, accommodating branch. She looked up to where she had been. It had been amazing. A height she had never been to before. And tears filled her eyes at the thought of leaving that place.
Her friend’s voice was becoming clearer as she was getting closer. She felt less afraid. He cried out, “Jump!” A single, simple word, but it rang as if played by a symphony. And she knew that He would not only catch her, but take her to new places she had never been before. With a new sense of bravery that she knew was not her own, she let go of her grasp on her beloved tree. Falling, falling, falling. And her fear was overcome by the exhileration of her obedience to His call to jump. The fall of faith. As her body descended, she never felt higher.
And before she knew it, she was in the arms of her Friend. Strong, able arms that drew her close to His chest. And as He held her there they cried together. Tears of relief. Tears of reunion. Tears of loss. A gentle mix that flowed from them both.
As He helped her to her feet, He wiped the tangled hair from her eyes and kissed her forhead. And she smiled. A single tear lingered in her eye as she looked back at her tree, in all its magnificence. It would always be her favorite tree. It would always be a part of her. But her Friend was calling her on to show her and teach her about more of His garden. And so she walked hand in hand with her Friend, thankful for her tree and thankful for the Friend that created the tree in the first place.
