Toward the Light

I went out on the back deck one morning, and my eye was drawn to a particular branch on a large tree, in the wooded area that is our backyard. The branch was a sort of “zigzag” shape, and I wondered how it could have grown that way. The branches around were substantially larger and clearly stronger, but there the misshapen branch was, smaller, but still growing toward the sky. One theory I heard is that when the tree was young, the branch was deprived of light, and grew in an odd way to try and get the light it needed through the canopy of trees. Anyone who has ever tended a plant knows that plants grow toward the light. The side exposed to the light will flourish and the plant must be turned around to give the other side the light it needs as well.
But the aforementioned branch, no matter how crooked, was still growing because it was connected to the trunk of that strong tree. I thought about our lives and how sometimes they are the same. Maybe our lives don’t look like we think they should, or thought they would. Maybe we’ve made choices that take us off that best “straight” path for us, and we’ve zigzagged a bit. Maybe our branch is not nice and straight, as we have struggled to find, and remain in, the light. The good news is, we can still grow, as long as we are connected to the Source of life and light. We’re told in 1 John 1:15 that God is light; in Him there is no darkness AT ALL (emphasis mine). In the same way that the imperfect branch continued to grow because of the strength of the mighty tree, we can grow because of the strength and power of our faithful God. We can move toward Him and his purpose for each one of us. There is no darkness in Him, no turning ourselves around to try and find the light, for if we remain in Him, we will continually experience His life giving light.
John 15:5 quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Remaining “in Him” – connected – is vital for the abundant life he wants to give each one of us. If we were to cut our zigzag branch off the tree, it would lay on the forest floor, and soon be sapped of the life it once had. Before long it would dry out, and decay, like things do when they are not connected to a source of life. Further in John’s gospel (8:12), Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He IS light, and promises we will have the light of life if we follow him. More than the light that filters through the trees and causes plants to shift one way or the other, he is THE LIGHT of the world. This light is for the whole world, but also personal enough to shine on you and me, crooked branches, imperfections, and all.
Allow time each day to sit in quietness; to read and meditate on His word, and allow Him to speak to you. There seems to be such a focus on (Eastern) meditation these days, where you attempt to empty your mind of all thoughts. In Judeo-Christian meditation, you fill your mind up – with promises of the faithfulness and character of God. Let your mind be renewed by these things. Remain “in Him.”
Connect to the Source of life and light, and you will grow. Seek Him, and allow His eternal truths to bind you to the only thing, the only Source, that can make you fully, truly alive.