The TREE
by Jim Johnston
I’m feeling, now, so all alone,
It’s cold and I’m unaware,
Of all the dangers here about,
I’m tiny - there’s none to care.
All of a sudden I feel a warmth,
As I’m lifted from the sand,
And though I’m but a little seed,
I feel comfort in His hand.
He cradles me, I know He cares,
About things great and small,
Then He whispers low and clear,
“You will grow up and be tall.”
I do not understand the words,
Being small and still afraid,
I sense the soil being gently dug,
Then I’m planted in the shade.
What’s happened now, alone again?
Why did He put me here?
Inside the earth – it’s very dark,
I miss His warmth, so dear.
I feel a change come over me,
I’m stretching up and down.
How can a little seed transform?
Why, I seem to just have grown.
There is a strength I feel I draw,
From the moisture in the soil.
And still, I feel that same good warmth,
His watering eases my toil.
I’ve pushed up above the ground,
But I’m rooted in one place,
As each day goes by, I grow a bit,
With His sunshine on my face.
Day by day and week by week,
Then months turn into years.
With limbs and leafs reaching to the sky,
He waters me with rain, like tears.
And now I’m not here all alone,
I’ve companions all about.
Together we’re a forest of trees,
And with the wind we shout.
His gentle breezes make us sway,
My boughs continue to spread.
And then each Fall when weather cools,
My leaves all fall – I shed.
But in Spring’s warmth I feel a stir,
As new leaves sprout and grow.
And there are others all about
Who take shelter near me now.
Birds build nests to raise their young,
They’re happy as they sing.
With squirrels and chipmunks all about,
Hiding nuts and other things.
There’s deer and fox and bunny, too,
Sometimes a porcupine,
They come and shelter in my shade,
When the sun’s hot in Summertime.
Then one day some men come by,
They stare in a curious way,
“This one will do” I hear them say,
“Have it cut down before Friday.”
Before I know, there are hurtful blows,
Cutting my bark; pain persists!
Angry iron digs deep into my wood,
But I’m helpless to resist.
I’m feeling weak and dizzy now,
(The animals and birds have gone)
The life-lines to my roots are snapped,
As I tumble to the ground.
All my limbs are chopped off me,
My bark and leaves, they toss,
Then one of my heavy limbs is nailed,
Across my trunk, like a cross.
I’m carried up toward a hill,
With angry crowds about.
What’s going to happen, I know not,
“Away with Him”, all shout.
While lying helpless on the ground,
A Man is placed on me.
With hammer blows on rough, bent nails,
This Man is secured to me, the TREE.
Next we’re hoisted up and roughly dropped,
Into a hole they have dug.
And there we stand before the crowd,
Because of His weight, I feel a tug.
But what is this sense come over me,
His wounds, they seem to bleed.
And seeping into me from His hands and feet,
Is familiar warmth, from when I was a seed.
Can it be that the very one,
Who planted and watered me,
Is now hanging, naked on this TREE,
For all the world to see?
I do not understand the hate,
Toward such a warm and gentle soul,
But I will do my very best,
To support Him on this knoll.
Then a darkness settles over all,
I feel His grief and pain,
After three long hours, a shout is heard,
“It is finished”, clear and plain.
Next some folks gently move His form,
From hanging on my frame.
But I still feel that dear, warm blood,
Where He left His mark – a stain.
My time upon the earth has ceased,
But I know there was a plan,
Why He planted and watered me-
This TREE would serve the GOD Man.