High in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the aspen trees mark the end of summer and the coming of winter. Against the deep blue sky and the dark green of the pines, the aspens turn golden. If one takes the time to look and reflect, the aspens tell us much about our lives in Christ and our service to His church.
One lesson can be found in the range of color that exposes the truth about each tree. Some of the aspen groves are bright gold, almost orange—these are the healthy trees. Other aspens are a sickly brownish yellow, and these trees lose their leaves quickly. These are the unhealthy trees. The varied colors we see are a picture of churches today. Some, whether large or small, are vibrant, alive and healthy—reflecting Christ. Others are sickly, fighting to stay alive, lacking beauty—the unhealthy churches.
As leaders, our calling is to help restore and strengthen the health and beauty of the church, but we cannot accomplish that calling unless health radiates from our lives. As Peter Scazzero argued in his book The Emotionally Healthy Church, a church cannot be emotionally, spiritually healthy unless the pastor is emotionally, spiritually healthy. Our calling begins with our own lives!
Strength and Weakness
There is more to the aspen story. Aspens are the only deciduous tree that grows high in the mountains, surviving against the elements. They leaf out for only four months each year. You would think they would have to be strong, hearty trees to endure the harsh winters at 10,000 feet; the truth is they are weak trees prone to disease, splitting easily for any number of reasons.
Then there are the scars. Walk through an aspen grove and you will notice the black scars visible on every tree. Perhaps you will see the open wounds, many caused by elk rubbing their antlers against the trees to remove the velvet.
As leaders, we also carry deep wounds and are susceptible to disease or sin. Yet the dark spots on the bark of the aspen resulting from wounds of the past are part of what make the trees so beautiful. Could the same be true of us? It is certainly true of Jesus! The healthy aspen groves are not those without scars but those that grow strong in spite of the scars.
If you rub your hand along the south side of an aspen tree, it will come away covered in a white powder. This is natural sunscreen to protect the tree from the powerful rays of the sun. Remove the powder and the aspen would split and die. God has provided protection for His children living in the fallen world. Scripture, prayer, rest, silence and community are just a few on a long list. Remove these essentials, and we risk our spiritual health.
The healthy aspen groves grow straight and tall as if reaching for the heavens. Yet they are locked by a root system that joins every tree together. Should not the same be said of us? Living among the harsh elements of life we are scarred and weak but bound together and forever reaching up to our heavenly Creator and Savior! Can that happen in a church if it is not happening in the lives of those who lead the church?
The Aspens Declare
This past fall, I took a drive with my family at the peak of the color season. We stopped the Jeep in one particular grove. It was a healthy grove, though deeply scarred. As I stood in the midst of those aspen trees with the sunlight shining through the golden leaves, I was overcome with a sense of what heaven must be like and was compelled to worship. I did not want to leave.
Should that not be how it is in our churches? Should that not be how our lives are as leaders? Scarred, weak and susceptible to all kinds of diseases and sins, should there not be a beauty radiating from us individually and corporately?
“The heavens declare the glory of God,” says
