Christ taught through parables, often parables found in nature. I have found my greatest learning often comes through simple parables that enter my thoughts as I am still and the Holy Ghost can speak to my heart and my mind. One such parable entered my thoughts some time ago, but has recently come to my attention again as life experiences have caused me to once again reflect on what I like to call "The Parable of the Peach Tree."
A couple years ago, our family watched as the peach tree grew and blossomed and started to look more and more like a mature tree. It was beautiful! I smiled every time I walked out my back patio door and saw the peaches growing and eventually starting to ripen. The tree was full and I was excited for our neighbors to have a huge harvest. Our neighbors are sweet and humble. They are a quiet family and keep to themselves most of the time. But we consider it a great blessing to have them as neighbors.
As the season progressed, I started to wonder about the tree. The branches were beginning to bend and I knew the peaches would need to be harvested soon. We tried to contact our neighbors several times, but they were never home. Like I said, they are quiet and keep to themselves. We don't have a phone number for them and didn't have a way to contact them. In general, hopping into your neighbor's backyard to harvest their peaches is frowned upon when you haven't spoken to them. So I watched. And I wondered. And soon I started to worry.
One evening in August, the rain and wind picked up. A loud crack was all it took to draw our attention to the poor peach tree. In the morning, I walked out to see two of the big branches of the peach tree lying on the ground. My heart sank. Oh no! I couldn't help but second guess my decision to avoid trespassing and leave the peaches on the tree. It turns out our neighbors were on a long vacation and ended up being out of town close to a month. When they returned, we asked if we could help. The branches were pruned and the two small branches that remained were tied with rope and anchored to the ground. It was the saddest looking tree I've ever seen. Although clearly disappointed about what had taken place, our neighbors seemed surprisingly optimistic about their little peach tree.
As I reflected on the experience, the parable of the peach tree began to take shape in my mind. The peach tree was breathtaking! It was growing and full and incredibly productive. But the weight of the peaches (even if they had been harvested regularly) was too much for the young tree to handle. The tree had not been pruned. As I pondered the peach tree, my mind was flooded with thoughts pertaining to my own life. It's easy in this stage of life to be in full-swing production mode. I'm a busy mom with a lot of goals and aspirations for myself, my children and my family. But without pruning back some of the activities and responsibilities in my life, the quality of my personal harvest will not be as great. I have had that thought multiple times the past few years and have tried to regularly prioritize and reevaluate how and where I am spending my time and energy to ensure that the most important things are given the highest priority. Admittedly I often get this wrong, but I am aware of the need to "prune back" my commitments so the fruits of my labor will be meaningful and important.
The past several weeks, the health of my personal peach tree came into question and I saw the "parable of the peach tree" in a whole new light. In the past, my thoughts about the peach tree always revolved around the amount of peaches, loss of productivity, the fullness of the tree (or lack thereof), etc. It never once occurred to me to take into the account the overall health of the tree in general. Yes, I get it. Don't try to keep too many peaches on the tree or you won't end up harvesting nearly as many or the quality of the peaches will decrease. If you don't address the pruning back of your branches, they will prune themselves for you, often in dramatic fashion. But what happens when the tree itself breaks? What happens if the trunk splits in two and nutrients can no longer reach the branches? What happens when the tree is unable to produce blossoms or fruit?
For those who know me personally and are inclined to worry, my health concerns are not life threatening. I could certainly be facing a much greater mountain or a more frightening situation. But they are incredibly debilitating. A couple months ago, I had the prompting that I needed to put more effort into my health. Of course, these thoughts are often inspired by external motives like a desire to shed a few pounds or fit into a specific outfit at some random point in life. Admittedly, that was a big part of it for me...at first. But my focus shifted as I thought about my overall health goals. I was eating clean, I'd added in some exercise and I was starting to feel pretty good. Nothing extreme. No major diet plan. Just healthy eating and some dietary supplements. And then...my body crashed! I literally collapsed. I could not get out of bed. I was sleeping hours and hours and hours every night and still found myself exhausted and needing a nap in the middle of the day. Sigh. For a person whose strategy for dealing with any difficulty in life is pushing harder, longer and further, this was a true wakeup call. How in the world do I deal with this type of situation when I literally CANNOT PUSH MYSELF HARDER? I could barely even move.
For those who know me personally and are inclined to worry, my health concerns are not life threatening. I could certainly be facing a much greater mountain or a more frightening situation. But they are incredibly debilitating. A couple months ago, I had the prompting that I needed to put more effort into my health. Of course, these thoughts are often inspired by external motives like a desire to shed a few pounds or fit into a specific outfit at some random point in life. Admittedly, that was a big part of it for me...at first. But my focus shifted as I thought about my overall health goals. I was eating clean, I'd added in some exercise and I was starting to feel pretty good. Nothing extreme. No major diet plan. Just healthy eating and some dietary supplements. And then...my body crashed! I literally collapsed. I could not get out of bed. I was sleeping hours and hours and hours every night and still found myself exhausted and needing a nap in the middle of the day. Sigh. For a person whose strategy for dealing with any difficulty in life is pushing harder, longer and further, this was a true wakeup call. How in the world do I deal with this type of situation when I literally CANNOT PUSH MYSELF HARDER? I could barely even move.
In the course of the last few weeks, I have made more changes, read several books, talked to specialists and tried to narrow down what is going on in this broken peach tree I have unknowingly taken for granted for so many years. It appears my adrenal glands have more or less shut down and are not producing the cortisol necessary to make any of the other hormone-producing glands do their job well. The endocrine system is quite complex, but basically if the adrenal glands are suffering, symptoms from the thyroid, pancreas and/or reproductive organs can be experienced. Not good. SO NOT GOOD!! I have several appointments and tests to come, but am basically dealing with extreme adrenal fatigue likely caused by way too many years of living in a state of ongoing stress as well as a diet that adds to the stress my body is facing (caffeine being my number one vice and worst enemy in this specific situation). In most of the books I have read, adrenal fatigue is broken down into three levels. I'm at the worst one - the one they refer to as the CRASH level. Oh boy! I wish I could say that title was simply a cute nickname, but unfortunately it's a fairly accurate description of what is currently happening inside this tabernacle of clay.
What does all this have to do with a peach tree? If I had taken the full tree into account and not just the fruit of the tree, perhaps I could have avoided such an extreme disaster. Instead of a couple broken branches and lost harvest this year, I am attempting to heal a trunk that has split down the middle. Such a repair requires bolts and ropes and intensive care. It also requires time and patience. I have faith that this repair is not only possible, but also probable. However, healing is not going to come by traditional methods of pruning back one or two branches, spraying the tree for disease or picking off a few peaches and hoping the tree can handle the rest of its load.
In order to heal, I have to rest, reduce my levels of stress and eat a very specific diet (something I thankfully had already addressed when my health took a turn for the worse). There are also several dietary supplements to help build up my adrenal glands while I'm resting and healing and learning to utilize relaxation techniques, breathe deeply, practice gentle yoga and learn the art of mindfulness. YIKES!
As I reflect on my personal garden, my thoughts turn to the "Master of the Vineyard" and my heart swells with love and gratitude. He who is able to prune and dig and nourish the roots of the tree. He who can burn branches that have decayed and graft in young fruitful branches for the benefit of the tree (Jacob 5). I take a breath and relax. What an incredible gift! As I learn to embrace my dramatic new plan of health and healing, I will trust in He who can restore all things and will wait patiently on the Lord.
