I have a friend who really likes trees!

I have a friend who really likes trees. I am sure that statement might conjure up an image of someone, let me assure my friend Laura is nothing like that! Laura loves trees not only because they are incredible creations but they also teach her so much about who God is and what we need as people. Recently I had the privilege of hearing Laura talk a lot about trees and so much of what she shared has left an impact on me.

We all know that if you slice a tree you can see the rings, and those rings can help us work out the age of a tree, well at least that what we are told as kids. But what I didn’t know is that these rings can also tell us when a tree has had ‘a thin year’. A thin year is when life has been particularly hard for the tree. The main causes of these tough years are extreme weather, lack of rain, pests or infestations and a deficiency of the key nutrients the tree needs. As Laura went onto explain beautifully how trees react during these times, how trees almost unify to share resources so that those who are lacking can benefit from the abundance others have.

At this point Laura shared the similarities between trees and us, between trees and those serving others in different ministries. It was a revelation. I started to think about the causes of a trees thin year and what the equivalent might be for us as leaders. I believe there could be a multitude of illustrations, but here are some of mine:

For the extreme weather I am imagining this is busyness of ministry and how we just become overwhelmed. It could also be the ‘storms’ that rage when things don’t work out for us or something has ‘failed’ and we just can’t get past it.

Our lack of rain could be down to not prioritising community or having a tribe around us. By working and serving in isolation we not only are missing out on the joy of collaboration but also of the people that can support us and pour into us. Also by not connecting with others we miss out on the people and places we can be a blessing to because of the calling and gifts God has instilled in us.

The pests or infestations I think is the opposition that comes. Those habits, those little niggling annoyances that we allow to fester and grow because we don’t deal with them. For me this can be something someone has done, it can be a default behaviour I have when I am frustrated or it can simply someone in your world who you just don’t get on with. It can also be when we feel threatened or are constantly comparing ourselves with others, and so we resent people, seeing them as against us rather than for us.

My nutrient deficiency is often when I haven’t allowed time for the space and silence that I need in the midst of the noisy and busy world. If I forget to prioritise my time alone, my time in prayer and our time in God’s word it will show and it will be as though I haven’t eaten food, drunk water or been out in the sunlight. How can I encourage growth in others when I am not growing myself.

My own thin year (which seems to have lasted longer than a year) has been a mixture of different frustrations and challenges. Maybe like a tree that grows and looks different in each season I am just in-between seasons, either way, ministry has, at times, felt a little ‘thin’. Thankfully I have an incredible tribe around me who are continuous source of support, wisdom and love. I don’t feel quite like a ‘Cedar of Lebanon’ yet but this season is teaching me a lot.

What can I learn from my thin year?

Faithfulness is a work out, it strengthens our muscles of faith so that they can lift more. If we have had a thin year I am praying that it will enable you to stand stronger, stand taller and encourage others who have found life and ministry tough at times.

I need to learn to ‘lean’ every day. I cannot just keep going or ‘grin and bear it’, I need to intentionally lean into God, and into others in my life. It is almost like I walk around and live each day leaning on someone, being held up by them. This ‘leaning’, like faithfulness, is the working out of a muscle, you need to repeat it regularly. You need to have faith daily, you need to trust daily, you need to lean daily. In doing this you will find a strength that enables you to outlive any thin year.

Something else Laura said came to mind. It was about a tree stump that may have been cut down or had fallen in a storm. The stump isn’t dead but is able to communicate with other trees the challenge it is facing, the stump almost screams out to the trees around it, sending a signal deep underground that it needs help. It was here I started to think about whether I have been ‘cut down’. What are the things that cause me to scream, do people know I’m in trouble or do I suffer in silence? ‘THE OTHER TREES’ are my source of life and restoration, they will literally allow me to grow again when I have felt wounded or emptied. These “trees” could be the people that can mentor me, they can be people that can shield me while I am vulnerable. They carry me when I can’t go on and be the company I need when life is tough. They will be the friends of Job who just sit and be when you need them.

Find a rhythm of life that is sustaining. Follow someone whose rhythm you admire. Model this rhythm and then pass on this rhythm to others. Look to ‘the other trees’ and come close to them. Remember a trees roots are often connected to the trees around them, this is how they share resources, healing, energy, life!

As you look at the rings of a tree and notice a thin year, you will also notice it is in the middle of the trunk, the tree has overcome a thin year. These challenges we face are not the end of us but are the shaping of us for what is next. My thin year may be the teaching for someone else so that they are able to walk through their own thin year. Keep going, but don’t do it alone.

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock.”

Psalms 92:12-15