A very large maple tree sat in the front yard of the home where I grew up in Maine. It was a friend in the spring because of the maple sap that we could extract from it to boil down into fresh maple syrup. In the summer it provided shade on those steamy, humid Maine dog-days of summer. It was so large in diameter that I was about 9-10 before I could even figure out how to climb up into it.
I used to mow our lawn when I was a boy and I remember one time when the blade of the mower shaved over the protrusion of a piece of that large tree’s roots. It was early in the spring, about the first real mowing and somehow the root had ever so slightly become exposed over the winter, rather it was root growth or soil erosion I cannot say. I only know that it wasn’t there the last time that I had mowed in the fall. Initially I didn’t know what it was and then when I saw that it was a root I wasn’t sure what a root was doing in this spot. Since it was so far away from the tree’s trunk, I didn’t immediately connect it with that old, large maple. Similarly, when I climbed that tree, I never really thought about how large of a root base it took to support the tree; not only nourishment, but also with stability. The roots had to be widely spread to balance the tree and create a rigid stability, especially during higher winds. I did notice, however, that when I got to the upper branches of the tree, they became much weaker, thinner and less stable. There were those that would support my weight easily, those that would bend but not break under my weight and those that would floppily bend over or break under my weight. Interestingly enough, these were always the branches that were the furthest from the roots. They were furthest from the stabilizing strength of the tree. Analogy: The further that you get from the roots of the stabilizing force, the more “out there” you are and the less structure and strength and support you are able to draw upon. It then comes down to whatever strength or structure you have at your immediate disposal, rather than the collective strength that being closely connected to the roots and trunk provides. I think this is a good lesson to reveal why the strength of the family system is so important to making strong branches of the family. If we start with a good solid root system and allow the trunk to develop properly it will provide a stability that can help support the newer branches of that family until they are strong enough to support themselves. It also helps as one of those young branches blossoms and propagates. If the new seedling begins to take root close to the original tree, it will receive some stability from the parent tree, which will provide it some shade from the scorching heat and some protection from heavy winds. The families that have stayed close to their roots are much more likely to flourish than those who stray from them and simply attempt to create new branches that are autonomous from the original tree. This creates instability in the new fledgling sapling, which then creates unstable new branches that do not have the advantage, the stability, protection or identity with the original solid tree. Given the opportunity the original tree could help provide and restore these things into the new generation. The same holds true for the church. The early, first century church was strong and flourished creating many new branches. Many of those branches strayed away from the stability of the roots and trunk of the parent tree. This resulted in instability and a feeling of being alone to find ones way without the protection of the original root. Let’s be willing to see that maybe the best new thing we could acquire would be some of the old things left behind. Blessings!

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