Do You See the Forest?
by Mark Hayes, Vice President of Mission Advancement
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1)
People ask me all the time, “Why would you move from Colorado to Minnesota?” For those mostly interested in the discussion of landscape, I can give a one-word answer: Trees. The mountains of Colorado are incredible. Even seeing them in the distance is a sight I will always miss. But spanning the space between my front window and the beautiful mountain landscape in the distance were brown weeds and zero trees.
Isaiah begins his encouragement to his audience with a look at the views from their windows. When the Israelites looked at their family tree, they no longer saw a thriving kingdom under their renowned King David, the son of Jesse. All they saw from Jesse’s tree was a stump. Their kingdom and their family strength had been reduced to a cut-off trunk barely breaking the surface of the earth.
When someone is so caught up in the details of a problem that he or she fails to see the bigger picture, we say, “They can’t see the forest for the trees.” In Israel’s case, “They couldn’t see the trees for the stump.” They were so weighed down by their current status that they saw no hope at all.
But Isaiah reframed their vision of a hopeless stump with the promise of a shoot that would rise directly from it. The shoot would become a branch that would bear fruit. Jesus, often named the “Son of David,” was that Shoot. He was the Branch. He produced the fruit of forgiveness and eternal life.
As we prepare for Christmas, God has reframed our visions of life. He leads us beyond the stumps of our seemingly endless and profound problems and enlightens us about His incredible solution. Mary, from the family of David (and Jesse), miraculously gave birth to Jesus. Jesus died on a tree to shower on us a forest of blessings. He took His life back to give us ours. This Christmas, look up from your problems and into Jesus’s loving eyes. Now do you see the forest?
Prayer: Dear Lord, I constantly let myself get overwhelmed with problems as though you weren’t there to help. I become devastated by the situation around me and let hopelessness creep in. Open my eyes beyond myself and beyond my stress to see the incredible plan that you orchestrated to save my life and nourish my soul. Let Christmas be a celebration of your promise for me in action. As I begin to see the forest of blessings that you have given to me, move me to hold out my hand to others who have less so that they can see your love through me. Amen.