Many years ago there was a maple tree that stood in front of my mother’s house. One day a car hit the tree and it had to be removed. My great-grandmother, who everyone called Mum, was visiting my mom. While sitting on the porch she happened to see a left over piece of the maple tree sticking out from under a section of cement. Remembering the maple tree that once had been; Mum pulled that piece of tree out from under the cement. She gave it to my mother and told her to plant it in the yard. Mum said it would grow to be a large, beautiful maple tree just like the one that had been removed. She said in the future the grandchildren would enjoy sitting and playing in the shade of the new maple tree. My mom planted that piece of maple tree and it became known as Mum’s tree.
It has now been 42 years since that piece of maple tree was planted and what started out as a small sapling is now a beautiful, tall, full maple tree. My great-grandmother did not get to set her eyes upon the mature and stately tree. But her words rang true as not only grandchildren, but also great-grandchildren have played in the shade of her maple tree. And, long after her passing, many other family members, neighbors, strangers passing by and children have enjoyed the dancing patterns of light and shade as the sun shines through its branches. They hear the soft whisper of leaves as playful breezes pass through the tree. In the fall, onlookers get to enjoy the vivid colors on display; amber, burnt orange and yellow gold. My great-grandmother made a thoughtful request. My mother, willing to honor her grandmother’s request, planted that piece of maple tree in good soil. For many years now there have been quite a number of people who have shared in admiring the maple tree’s beauty. People whose days have been and continue to be made brighter because of my mother’s one considerate act; planting a piece of tree at the request of her grandmother.
My mother and great-grandmother both mastered one of life’s most significant secrets; they learned to let their interests and joys reach out and touch others. By believing that a piece of tree planted in the yard would grow into something beautiful, my mother and great-grandmother formed a meaningful fellowship with generations beyond themselves. They found a way to share their love of beauty with others. My mother still experiences the joy of watching the tree blossom and grow and the great delight that it gives to others. My great- grandmother found a way to communicate across the years to people who had not yet come into the world. The maple tree says to others, “Stop and look. Enjoy my beauty. Listen to the beautiful sounds of my leaves. Trees are significant. You are significant.”
This type of wholesome attitude toward people who are not a part of our family or friends is essential to Christian living. Human beings belong to each other. We are important to each other. Not just as family members, spouses, co-workers, employers, neighbors, a church family and friends are concerned. People of all generations belong to each other. God has designed the world in such a way that the effects of any one person goes out from him or herself in ever-widening circles to other families, races, religions and generations other than their own.
While preaching to the Athenians, the Apostle Paul spoke of the essential unity of mankind, saying of God, “He made of one every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” The King James Bible reads, “He….hath made of one blood all nations of men.” Paul was speaking of man’s kinship under the Fatherhood of God. We belong to one another because we belong to the same spiritual Father.
Because we are connected to each other, it is inevitable that for good or evil, others will feel our influence whether we desire them to or not. We all carry traces of good and evil that has been transferred to us from unseen and unknown persons. In the same manner, others who are unseen and unknown to us will feel the effects of our lives. If we become wealthy without hard work and without suffering or paying a price, it is because someone else has worked vigorously and paid the price before us. If we are dedicated and persevere and work hard and go through some difficulties without any apparent reward, it makes it possible for others to prosper from our work and challenges. When you are at your very best all the world is a little better for it. When you do wrong, the world is somewhat worse for it. We all have some power for making our lives felt in the lives of others.
There is a key difference between the responsible person of faith and the irresponsible person. The responsible person is continually aware of the importance of his or her influence and is therefore “intentionally” influential. In other words, they make deliberate decisions they know will be in the best interest of others. The irresponsible person is also influential, but their choices are by happenstance, accidental, impulsive or lacking motivation. Good people invest their influence, while the mediocre man or woman squanders or wastes their influence.
Remember that we belong to each other; all men and women everywhere belong to each other. We each possess something in the way of material goods, compassion, grace, mercy and spiritual gifts and talents that fit the needs of someone else. Recognizing this truth and acting upon it will bring healing to the world’s social, economic and spiritual afflictions. We, who belong to the same God, belong to one another.
Comments