My Broken Peach Branch Has Healed
After removing the duct tape and the splint, I found out that the limb had healed completely. This explains the growth of numerous purple peach flowers on the affected branch like the rest of the tree had.
I had made the correct decision not to cut off the broken branch last year! Now I expect there will be more harvest of peaches for me and to share!
In some way, broken tree branches can be easier to heal than broken human relationships. Human beings are obviously more complicated than other creatures of God like plants or animals. Wounds inflicted by fellow humans on each other can be so painful that it takes a lot of humility and magnanimity of heart to forget the bitterness of hurts and to forgive, genuinely and with finality. On the other hand, the refusal of the offending party to initiate forgiveness and reconciliation due to pride or self-righteousness makes the healing process long and difficult, if not impossible.
The broken branch of my peach tree has healed. It has become a healthy complete branch again. A barely noticeable tell-tale mark of the break is present: a tiny blob of dried sap that oozed out of the repaired tear, showing that the tree continued to generously generate and supply life-giving sap to all the branches and to mend itself and make it a whole, productive and flourishing tree again.
When human beings persist in refusing reconciliation with one another, it is like a tree with broken branches that have not been re-attached to each other, to the detriment of the whole tree.
In the history of creation, there was the first break between the Creator and the creature. But the Creator did not allow that break to forever remain unhealed. We all know the rest of the story. And that gives us much joy for ourselves.
However, when we allow, or even desire, that breaks among us remain unrepaired and unhealed, we are not giving glory to the Creator, in whose image and likeness we were created and Who commanded us to love one another.
In that case, a healed broken branch or tree appears better than their human counterparts. This can only make us feel shame and sadness about it . . .
. . . but we can look at the parable of Jesus on the return of the prodigal son, where the Father easily forgave his repentant son and restored their relationship with much rejoicing.
If we learn from it by exerting effort to heal our own damaged and broken relationships, like the damaged peach tree healed itself, then we can truly say that we are God's most beautiful creation!
At the pinnacle of God's creation!#
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)
