Christmas Tree Problems. My Rescuer.

Here’s what I hate: Christmas Tree Problems.

Do you get a real tree or a fake tree?  Either way there is bound to be some issue when it comes to putting up a giant shrub in your house.  (My issue in 2010 was that the tree Ibought was…how do I say this…GIGANTIC!)

This year, some good friends bought their real tree from Home Depot.  Once they got the tree home, they discovered that it didn’t seem to have a “good side.”  Whichever way they turned it, my friend Corey thought it looked funny.  Perhaps it was the tree itself, or maybe it was the stand, or maybe it was the fact that it was set up on plush carpet—whatever the case, the tree had balance issues.

A day later, Corey and the kids arrived home--  (her husband was at a football game) and her young son glanced into the family room, his eyes darting to the corner where the tree should be.  The tree wasn’t there.  It seemed to have disappeared! 

“Mom, do you know where the tree is?”  Tommy asked innocently.

Corey quickly peered round the corner into the family room.  There was not a tall tree standing in the corner.  She made her way around the couch and saw what she feared most at that point.  There lay the fully decorated, 8 foot tree on the floor!  Water from the stand had over course spilled all over the carpet. 

With much effort and very little help from her three small children, Corey was able to get the tree upright again.  Lights and ornaments were all askew, but she just shoved them back on as best she could.

Later, after the kids were in bed, she was sitting on the couch chatting on the phone with her mom. 

A slight movement caught her eye.  The tree was definitely swaying.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no…”  she said into the phone.  But, her mother just continued with her conversation.  With the phone still on her ear, Corey jumped from the couch just in time to keep the tree from toppling completely over. 

The problem now was that she could not get the tree balanced enough.  If she walked away, it would surely fall. 

Phone in hand, she ended the call with her mom and phoned a near by neighbor. 

“Can you help me?”  She pleaded.

And so, the story ends happily with a somewhat rumpled tree back upright and my friend thankful for the helping hand of her neighbor.

Who do you call on for help?

Generally, when we call someone for help, we call a person who we believe will show up.  It would have been pretty sad for my friend had she been left standing there holding up a Christmas tree if her neighbor had been a no-show.

So, we call people who we believe in—people we trust.

What if you need help with more than just a wobbly Christmas tree?

I try to remember to call on God when I am in need.  And yet I act like I don’t fully trust Him.  How so?  You ask. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding.  I’ve realized that I am not very good with the “all my heart” part of that command.  I might say that I trust Him.  I might even call on Him to come help me with a problem.  However, after I’ve called Him, I still go about trying to fix things myself.  Or I call on someone else as well—you know—just incase God is a no-show.  Or I tell God what to do because I think I know better.  All of these reveal that I’m not fully trusting in the Lord. 

And yet, even in my unfaithfulness, God is faithful.  He keeps loving me even though I don’t give Him my whole heart.  It’s crazy really that He would continue pursuing me when I insist on treating Him like a no-show. 

But there He is, walking through the door when we’ve called for help.  Smiling knowingly as we attempt to straighten out our problem ourselves.  Eyes flashing when we try to tell Him what to do, and perhaps feeling a twinge of disappointment when we’ve called on someone else incase He didn’t show up. 

To love Him is to trust Him.

To trust Him is to know Him.  (If you don’t know Him well, you won’t trust Him.)  

This week I’m reminded of what I know about Him.  He is faithful, He is wise, and He has never let me down.  So, I’m working on trusting Him with my whole heart.  Because Here’s what I love: My Lord and Rescuer.