Do you remember the song “Big John” which was made famous by Jimmy Dean? I was thinking of a line in it on Sunday: “and like a giant oak tree, he just stood there alone.”
Ron and I were cutting wood to burn in our wood stove. In between cutting branches into burnable lengths with the chainsaw, Ron would grab the maul and split some of the big, 18- to 24-inch diameter logs. The really big ones were extremely resistant to being split. The heavy maul would make a little dent, but mostly bounce off without making too much of an impact (pun intended!!).
I couldn’t help but think about the different sizes of wood and how easily they are cut into burnable lengths. Twigs are easily snapped. Branches can be broken across my knee with some effort. But generally, the larger the branch, the more resistant it is to being cut or split. In other words, the more the portion of the tree has matured, the more solid it is, the more able it is to withstand attempts to change it.
I also thought about the different kinds of wood. Elm burns very hot (high BTU), but it is very disliked by most people who have the misfortune of having to split it. It doesn’t split easily. A pine tree also burns very hot, but it isn’t as dense as some of the hardwoods, so it can be easier to split, as long as it hasn’t absorbed moisture. An oak is so dense, when the air is cold (like 0º), it’s fun to listen to it snap apart! Of course, there are many variables which can affect how well the wood splits: how much moisture it has absorbed, how well it has been aged, how many knotholes it has, how long it is, how big its diameter is, and what kind of wood it is.
So what kind of a tree am I - in a Christian, allegorical way? Do I grow quickly but have so little real substance that I don’t hold onto my faith well when under duress? Do I grow rapidly and resist change? Am I like an oak, growing slowly and steadily, able to withstand adversity, firmly solid in my faith?
And like a solid oak tree, when the chips are down, when others are depending on me in a life-and-death situation, do I stand firm in my convictions, willing to sacrifice my life for the lives of others? That’s what Big John did; when the mine cave-in occurred, he “grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan, and like a giant Oak tree, he just stood there alone, Big John.”
Realistically, I’m not called upon to stand like a solid oak tree in life-and-death situations every day, or even most days . . . or am I? I think that the development of my children’s character, their spiritual education, and their Biblical health is very much a life-and-death situation; it’s just that it occurs, like the growth of an oak tree, over time. The example I set, the words I speak, the choices I make all impact my children’s future. If I live my life with that awareness, with the Deuteronomy 4 mandate in my forefront of my thoughts to impact my decisions, I’m going to look much more like an oak tree than a banana tree. It’s a worthwhile goal, isn’t it, to live my life as a Christian who resembles a giant oak tree.