How many of you watched the cartoon or even perhaps the movie, "George of the Jungle"? It was probably one of my favorite shows as a child. That silly George never seemed to learn from past mistakes and continued to do what... fly straight into that tree but somehow always surviving the crash landing and never really seeming to be phased too much by it. When the movie came out, I of course went to see it and sat there shaking my head reflecting on the memories of laughing as a child at the silly antics of George, Ursula, Ape, Shep, etc. All the while thinking... why did I find this show so funny? Perhaps it was because I could relate!
I've actually crashed into a tree before while sledding down a hill, but that's not the kind of tree I'm talking about right now. I'm talking about all those "trees" that I tend to run into that block me from the grace God has to offer. You know those trees like pride, harboring ill feelings towards someone, gossiping, murder (yes, I said murder... words kill someone sometimes more quickly than the physical act itself), idolatry, etc. How many trees has this "George" run into, survived, dusted myself off and got on the next rope only to do it again? Again and again and again... all the while, God continues to hand me the next rope to allow me to try one more time.
I can picture Eve in that beautiful amazing Garden that God gave to her and Adam to rule. She had everything to meet her needs including a perfect mate, the man God called her to walk alongside and share in the splendor God had provided for them. She had it all... but then there was that tree. Eve!, Watch out for that tree!! That tree...that tree that started the generations to come of Know It Alls. Is knowing it all so bad? Hmmm... Hello pride, hello arrogance, hello disobedience, hello ignoring the call and will of God, hello resistance and dishonor.
As adults we don't find the concept of knowing it all as a bad thing. But we do tend to find it annoying and disrespectful when our children and those children around us act like they know it all. It wasn't that God didn't want his children to be educated, but it was his desire to protect his children from the wickedness that could surround them. Often I tell young people to be the age they are, don't try to be 13 when you're only 12... enjoy being 12 and all that it has to offer. 13 will soon arrive and then enjoy being 13. We aren't always ready for the knowledge that we gain, it can change us and not always for the better. There are things I know now that at one point in my life I would not have been emotionally, mentally, physically or spiritually prepared for. God knows what he's doing when he tells us to step away from the "tree". It's in our obedience and our trust in him that we have a fulfilled life, given all we need.
So I ask you, what "tree" have you been crashing into lately? What has God been asking you to stay away from instead of running into that you just can't seem to resist? I pray today that you "Watch out for that tree" and stop allowing the enemy to provide you obstacles to the grace that God has waiting for you.
Under His Wings,
Heather
