In the second chapter of Peter Pan, by J.M. Berry, Peter loses his shadow when he makes his escape from the bedroom of the three Darling children. He made it out the window, but Nana, the family dog, had taken hold of it, severing it from its owner. In Chapter 3, Peter returns, seeking his shadow. Tinkerbell finds it in a dresser drawer. In the Disney animation version, Peter’s shadow was greatly excited about being set free and did its best not to be captured. Having finally gotten a firm grip on his shadow, Peter became agitated in failing to reattach the rebelling shadow to himself. In the struggle, Wendy, the oldest of the Darling children, was awakened. Peter asked her if she had any glue. Wendy then tells him the shadow had to be sewn back on, and she sets about the task. Once the connection was established, we hear no more about the shadow in the book.
This metaphor presents a significant opportunity to deepen our understanding of the Fall and its consequences. There is no space here, but I hope you will give space for it to form in your mind.
When thinking about the Bible’s Creation narrative in Genesis, Peter Pan always comes to mind. This past Sunday, in the Life Group I am privileged to be a part of, we discussed Jesus’s cursing of the barren fig tree. Mark specifically tells us that the leaves shriveled up and the tree dies from the roots up. The tree died because the connection to the source of nourishment was cut off. The tree was on Earth, but somehow not connected to the Earth. It is a complex event in Jesus’ ministry. That should prompt the reader to ask Jesus for a deeper understanding. The reader, then, must wait and watch for that answer to come. While I have profited from pondering the event, my mind is not yet satisfied, so I continue to “ask, seek, and knock.”
There are six walking trails within walking distance of my house that I can utilize. While walking this past winter, I would choose my route along the trails where the foliage did not restrict the sun. Now, at the beginning of summer, I am choosing my path to be in the cool “shadow”, shade of the trees.
While processing all this, Psalm 1, the one I pray the most, came to mind. The Psalm describes the person who set his heart on being “righteous.”
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law, he meditates day and night,
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
His leaf does not wither, and he bears fruit in season.
I know that leaves are invaluable to a tree’s survival and even humanity’s survival. But I like them for their beauty and the cool shade they provide in the summer. Trees are in the first and last chapters of the Bible. The tree of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil is only in Genesis. But the tree of Life is in both the beginning and the new beginning. Trees are mentioned in many other places in the Bible; Jonah sitting in the shade comes to mind. It is hard to miss the calling of the cross or Jesus as a “tree.”
As I walk through life, I look for big canopy trees to find relief from the scorching heat of the sun and nourishment for growth and advancement. I need to be around people who demonstrate a great desire to be and become the “trees” that God created them to be. I desperately need those folks. In a large way, my survival and thriving are delivered to me from God through their allowing me to rest under their shadows.
Preachers and teachers are important, but it’s the Spiritual plodders that I seek out. For me, the plodders are the followers of Jesus whose faith is not demonstrated in their pious activities and moral correctness. They are best described in the Beatitudes. The odd thing is that they are oblivious to the spiritual impact that the Holy Spirit is exerting through them. They see themselves as inadequate in the struggles of their lives. They do not use many, or any, high-sounding, fluffy Christian clichés. They are more mindful of being kingdom correct than politically correct. There is no pretense of authority in their demeanor, but they carry a strong scent of being under authority.
I long to be such a “shade tree” for those weary travelers on their pilgrims’ progress. And hope that they might find some morsel of fruit the Lord has produced on my trembling branches. If you have read this blog post to its end, I would wager that you share the same desire. It is this desire to be intimately connected to the Blesser that will equip and empower you to be His provision of blessing to those around you.
Photo – A tree on the way to Al-Quosh, Iraq.
Baldwin Heirlooms 