When my granddaughter Riley was young, I used to take her on one of our "tree lesson walks". I would take her to each kind of tree and show her the leaves, the bark, and anything else that would help her remember the tree and its name. The older she became, the more names that she remembered.

One year, after a visit and a tree lesson, Riley and her mom stopped at a fast-food restaurant. At the drive-up window, Riley shrieked, "My Mama and Papa have a Golden Rain tree, and you ought to see it." The voice at the other end didn't know what to think and quickly took their order.

One of our favourite trees was the Sweet Gum tree. After looking at all the other trees, she would want to see that one. One afternoon, she came up to me as I worked in the yard and said, "Where is the candy tree?" It took me awhile to know what she was talking about, so she tried to clarify it by saying, "You know — the gum ball tree!" I laughed as I thought about the gum balls that she was talking about. They are prickly little balls that can be quite a problem if you want a nice neat yard or if you step on one with your bare feet. They can be quite effective to keep animals away from flowers, and they can be used to make beautiful crafts.

My Sweet Gum tree is a beautiful tree, with shiny green leaves in the shape of maple leaves. Since this tree is one of the last to get leaves, my tree can be barren for a long time after winter, with no signs of beauty, only those prickly brown balls. But the thick, shiny leaves, along with the tree's overall shape make it a wonderful addition to any lawn, except for those gum balls that hide beneath the beautiful façade. They are usually considered a nuisance, and some people even cut the tree down to get rid of the unwanted little balls.

I have met Christian people like my tree. On the outside they are stunning! They teach Sunday school, work in the nursery, and know all the church lingo! They can praise the Lord with the best of them. But when the cold winds blow, there is nothing left but prickly balls of hate, unforgiveness, or pride. Unfortunately, I don't have to look too hard to find these prickly ball people — no farther than my mirror! I think that all of us are susceptible to the devil's tricks. He would like nothing better than for us to let pride grow unseen, or to harbour bitterness or anything else that would cause us to be separated from God or to hurt our witness to those who watch our lives. Let's work with the Holy Spirit to ensure that the fruit of our lives is not prickly, but rather the beautiful fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)

Pray with me:

Prayer: Lord, when the winter of old age or the wind of suffering blows away my façade, I pray that instead of prickly gum balls, people will see the true fruit of the Spirit in me! Amen.

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About the author:

Jeanie Nihiser <jnihiserj@gmail.com>
Geneseo, New York, USA
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