The Blue Spruce

“Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

I remember the home in which I grew up, in the suburbs of New Jersey, was a very special place. It was always filled with family gatherings, close friendships, life forming experiences and the warmest and best of memories. One day, my father brought home a two-foot Blue Spruce tree that he planted in the front yard. It was a beautiful seedling that grew into a magnificent arbor that covered a good part of the yard. We would decorate the tree at Christmas with an array of colored lights that lit the whole block. As the tree grew taller each year, we used long bamboo poles with hooks on the end to reach the top of the tree with those lights that glistened like stars. It was a sight to see!

That Blue Spruce had another, more significant purpose… as it majestically grew over the years, it marked all the changes in my family. As the tree got taller and wider, it symbolized how the family experienced life alterations. The tree grew through family weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries, good times, not so good times, a myriad of Christmases, New Years, 4^th of July celebrations, sweltering summers, frozen winters, colorful Autumns and revitalizing Springs. Later in life after moving away to be on my own, I would visit my parents and see that Blue Spruce that seemed to signify permanency and stability… until that day when it was gone. As all life changes, my parents moved away and strangers bought my old house. As they made that house their own home, they cut down the Blue Spruce. What I thought would never change… changed. It showed me that all things in this world, however strong and permanent they may seem, are subject to change. It causes us to be more aware and discerning in regards to what we decide to hold on to in our lives.

In a world that is constantly changing, evolving, reconstructing and being over-hauled… a world that seems to slip through our fingers every time we try to grasp and hold something of the world… what is the source of our stability, our confidence, our peace and our security? Well… it has to be in something that does not change, does not fluctuate with the seasons and circumstances of life, but remains the same no matter what! That can only be… Jesus Christ!

He said, “I am the Lord, I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6). Hebrews 13:8 proclaims that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. Now that’s something to trust in! How can we trust in the things of the world, our own circumstances and our own feelings, when they change daily, hourly and sometimes by the minute? We must put our trust, faith, confidence and hope in what never changes… Jesus!

When the storms come, winds blow, waves billow, earth shakes and clouds burst overhead… in other words… when your heart breaks, when you get afraid, when tragedy and crisis knock on your door, when you feel like giving up and walking away, when all hope seems to be lost and when you don’t understand what God is doing right now… hold on to Jesus and His Word because it will be your strength, your anchor, your firm foundation, your faith and your hope! Psalm 119:89 shouts, “Your Word is eternal, it stands firm in the Heavens.” When you hold on to His Word, His promises… those things that never change… there will be your peace and strength! “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) That’s what I will hold on to! Depend on Him and trust Him. He will not fail you or switch up on you. He won’t change depending on the circumstances, you or anybody. Wherever you are right now and whatever you may be going through, He is your answer and He is the most stable aspect of your life… the Rock, the Fortress that we most urgently need. Trust Him right now!

I think when Spring comes around again I’m going to my local landscape nursery and buying a tree… a Blue Spruce… just to remind me that everything changes… except my Jesus! I might even put some lights on it!