A Sheltering Tree

I have been reading through Philippians for the past few weeks.  I camped out on Philippians 1:9-11 for awhile.  (Much of this is an excerpt from my journal)

          "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

          Philippians is an actual letter that Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi.  He was in jail at the time, waiting to be tried for preaching Christianity.  Paul sincerely prayed for unity for these believers.  He longed to be with them, missed them so much, and yet he prayed that their love would increase for each other.  He didn't get jealous that they were together and he wasn't there.  He wasn't insecure about their friendships with each other.  He didn't compare - he sincerely prayed they would overflow with love for each other!  What if we loved our friends that purely - that we could be happy for them when they are together - not jealous?  What if we could be secure enough in our relationships that we don't have to compare friendships and try to always be everything to everyone?

          I then studied the word discern and looked up some of the cross-references that go with it, which led me to James 3:13-16.

          "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven, but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil...leads to disorder..."

          My Bible note said: "Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act.  Foolishness leads to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness." (NIV Study Bible)

          Wow - this was huge for me.  You can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act.  The way we act as women is based on the way we think.  If we are, at our core, insecure, then it will come out in the way we act: jealousy, comparison, manipulation, gossip, complaining, careless words, and the list goes on and on.   The trunk holding this up is the need to control - the situations and people in our lives - and it's rooted in self - a prideful, insecure self.  

This is a pic of a pic - hopefully it's readable!

          What a stark contrast to a life rooted in the security of Christ.  The trunk of that tree is TRUST in God - which takes away the need to control the situations and people in our lives.  We can love purely, by being women who are kind, humble, sincere, gentle, and encouraging.  When we are firmly rooted and established in Jesus - where at the core of our being rests the knowledge that we are secure in Him and valued by Him, then we can TRUST!  We can stop with all the attempts to control and manipulate others because He's got us covered!  We can stop trying to prove ourselves.  We can stop grasping and striving for recognition.  He knows the deepest desires of our hearts, and they are safe with Him. 

          And when we can get to this safe place with Him, then we can be a safe place for others.  "Friendship is a sheltering tree," wrote Samuel Coleridge.  We can be moms and wives who nurture and love our families out of a place of security and trust in Christ.  We can be servants of God, full of confidence because of Him, not because of our own accomplishments and striving. We can be friends who love purely, like Christ loves us.

          And why are we to live this way?  To make ourselves look better?  To draw others to us?  To be influential and win friends? NO.  To bring glory and honor and praise to God, and to make Jesus Christ attractive to all we meet.  

 "So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well.  Learn to love appropriately.  You need to use your head and test your feelings so that you love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.  Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God." (MSG)