“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
-Jeremiah 17:8

The main thing that makes a tree stable is that it’s nurtured. Its roots go into the soil and receive nourishment. Its branches reach up to the sun. The tree does not get up and go watch TV and then come back to the river. The tree is always there. It is stable. It is fixed. It is rooted. It is planted. And the longer it is planted and the longer it’s there, the stronger it becomes. And it bears fruit in its season.

A tree doesn’t have to try harder to bear oranges. A tree doesn’t manufacture oranges. Simply by being nourished, by being stable, by being established where it is planted, it bears fruit in its season, and that is you.

One of the best reasons to be a person who is strong and fruitful like a tree is not for you. It’s for the people around you. In our broken, fragmented, scary world, people need brave people like you. People of faith like you. People that can be trusted. People that are loyal, and you are loyal. And you are faithful. And you are true. I’m proud of you.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you have made me strong and fruitful. May I continue to be the trustworthy and stable person you have designed me to be. Amen.

Reflection: In what ways has the strength and stability God has given you helped you to help others?