The Majestic Oak

On the way home from town, there is a field with a large oak tree in the middle of it. My wife Martha and I always look at this tree when we go by. This morning we stopped along the road, and not only looked, but had a prayer with the tree. It is huge. I imagine three people could not wrap their arms around it to meet. It has old twisted branches. The oak has a few limbs that have been burnt and broken off, I am guessing by lighting. It has a large gash up the middle of the trunk about six foot long, and about ten feet up the trunk is a large knot. It sticks out, and on each side of it there is a dark spot, like two eyes and a nose. The bottom of the knot has two ridges that stick out like lips. I smile thinking of the silly face for an old and weathered tree. Looking at this tree, I think of the winter snows it has stood in the middle of. It has stood there day and night, in freezing cold.

I am taken back to the summer sweltering heat, the years where there have been a drought, with no end in sight. I think of the changing leaves in the fall, loosing them and standing bare like it is now for months. Martha and I are both pretty sure this tree has stood here for well over 150 years, through all these things, many times over. I wonder how many men have stood at the base of the old oak, and thought of cutting it down to make the field easier to mow. But, the tree stands.

That alone seems a miracle to me in these times. I am sure this tree would be worth a lot of money. This old oak weathers what the Creator gives it. It endures. It grows more beautiful with each twisted branch, each scar, each broken branch. This seems to me to only add character, and is a testament to its strength. From a small little seed to a mighty oak. The only reason it is still standing is the fact that it has weathered the trials of it's life. This majestic old oak tree with it's silly face is a reminder to us all to never loose your joy, and childlike wonders, no matter how many troubles you go through. - Walk in Peace