The Family Tree

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

We all have a family tree. Some are big, some are small. Some have lots of branches while others don't have many at all.

When a family tree first starts out there aren't many branches at all. Just a couple of little leaves and a stem. That's God's Biblical concept of a marriage.

"And the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” - Mark 10:8-9

It's not long before branches form and take off in their own direction. These are like the children of the marriage. And then the branches bear fruit (grandkids!).

Some couples choose not to have kids. Their family trees resemble telephone poles. When the couple grows old and dies, so does their tree. That's it. Sad.

Sometimes our family trees can also suffer loss. When a child dies it's like a branch breaking off in a storm. The tree lives on but it's never quite the same.

A tree that is firmly anchored in the ground by a strong root system can handle just about any storm. But a tree with weak or shallow roots will not last. It's like a family without a common faith in God.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." - Colossians 2:6-7

Is it any wonder that God chose The Tree of Life "to enhance and perpetually sustain the physical life of humanity?" (GotQuestions.org)

"And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." - Revelation 22:1-2

May your faith roots sink deep into His soil. May your roots drink deep as you nourish and strengthen your family. The love of our Savior is all the sustenance a family tree needs to survive in this world, and in the next. Drink deep.

The more mature a tree gets the closer it gets to heaven. Let it be so with us as well.