The Old Oak Tree

The Old Oak Tree

I was house cleaning in my office at church when I ran across a framed photo of an oak tree. The tree was standing alone in the middle of a field, leafless, surrounded by brown grass and patches of dirty snow. Then I remembered this was the tree I walked by every day for almost a year. On the days when the sun was out, I would sit on the bench nearby and talk to the oak.

Surprised that I would talk to an oak tree? Well, given the emotional condition I was in at that time, it was a miracle I was talking at all. When I took this photo of the oak tree, I was in the middle of a year of discontent. Six months earlier I had resigned as senior pastor of a church. It was not a pleasant parting of the ways. The founding pastor and I had a major falling out having to do with the direction of the church. Since we were unable to resolve our issues and facing the possibility of a church split, I left.

Unprepared for the emotional consequences of my decision, I fell into a season of despair. One moment I was at the center of church activity and the next moment no one calls; no one needs me. Who am I now?  I cried out to God but no answer. It was hard getting out of bed to face another day of emptiness. I was a mess.

One day, I walked into a Christian bookstore and started looking for some encouragement. In the Men’s Issues section, I found this book, Unmasking Male Depression by Archibald Hart. I read it cover to cover several times discovering that I needed to make changes in my life. I needed to take better care of myself.

That is how I met the oak tree. I started taking a daily walk with our dog Sparky. The walking path went right by this old, scraggly tree, scarred by lightening, continuing to stand tall in season and out of season. If this tree could survive that kind of disaster so could I. The oak tree wasn’t much to look at but what a witness of perseverance and hope.

The Bible says that God is the one who brings “messages of joy instead of news of gloom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.” We are “oaks of righteousness planted by God to display his glory.”