Mondays with Muir

“The woods are made for the wise and strong. In their very essence they are the counterparts of man. Their beauty - all their forms and voices and scents - seem, as they really are, reminiscences of something already experienced….Let an imprisoned man see the grand woods for the first time…he will enjoy their beauty and feel their fitness as if he had learned of them from childhood.” John Muir

My favorite part of this quote is Muir mentioning the beauty of trees, in all their forms, voices and scents. I often look at the various sizes and shapes of trees, and think how they are just as they are meant to be. Some seem to reach for the sky, while others crouch to the earth. Some are as graceful as a dancer, while others are stumpy, twisted, and gnarled. Some are gloriously clothed in spring blossoms, while others lay down a vibrant blanket of leaves in the fall. They are all content. At least I imagine them to be. There is no comparing or sizing up among one another. There is no wishing to have what another has, or wanting to look as another looks, or sound as another sounds. There is no desire to be where another is, they simply send down roots where their seed sprouts. How liberating to be content, growing into just what they are meant to be. Can you imagine how silly a tree would sound, saying it wants the leaf color of another, or wishing it were thinner, or taller, or smaller? All I see is the beauty with which they have already been endowed. I truly believe this is how God sees us. He formed us, and yet we are so often discontent with our form, or place, or seemingly lack of giftedness. How He must gaze upon us, desiring for us to see ourselves as He does, our beauty and purpose so evident to Him. Comparison is the death of contentment, but how we are so inclined to compare. Let the trees be a reminder to be content with how you have been formed. Focus on growing strong, deep roots of faith, and your crown will develop into just what it’s meant to be. Besides, how weak, dull and boring the forest would be with only one type of tree.

For my Midwestern friends, the trees are just beginning to leaf out. I find them to be just as beautiful without leaves, and possibly more so, than with. Don’t miss examining the fantastic character and unique branching pattern of each one. Trees are the perfect transition from earth to sky, each one a marvel of nature's engineering.