The tree of life

Tree in a UK park

I really appreciate the shade given by a tree, especially in summer. After being out in the direct sun for a while it’s a relief to experience the drop in temperature when you step into a shady patch. It’s times like this that I look up at a tree and marvel at the massive branches, almost sitting at right angles. How can they stay there through extremes of weather, for centuries at a time? Try holding your arms out straight for more than five minutes! 

The Bible is full of references to trees and their longevity. At the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis, God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden so they couldn’t eat from the “tree of life” and live forever. Personally I don’t think there was some magical fruit that could make a person immortal – it was more a reminder to Adam and Eve of what they had potentially missed out on because they hadn’t obeyed God. But the last book of the Bible, Revelation gives a different story. Jesus, talking about people who HAVE obeyed God said, “To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7 NET)  I’m hoping to be one of those people…