“In every walk

with nature,

one receives

far more than

he seeks.”

–John Muir–

___________________

Secrets of the Juniper

by Debbie Allen

 Feeling both awestruck and apprehensive, my husband and I climbed cautiously down to an overlook platform jutting out over the rim of the magnificent, Black Canyon, in Gunnison National Park. We marveled at how small and insignificant we felt while standing on its edges, looking down into the swift flowing currents of the Gunnison River, more than 2,250 feet below us! We were surprised to find that portions of these canyon walls remain shrouded in darkness year-round, because the walls are so steep even sunlight can’t reach them.

However, this same shadowy blackness enveloping the canyon walls also served to deepen the shades of gold we saw splashed across the aspens lining the canyon. Even the rockiest of ledges were adorned with ribbons of foliage, all aglow with deep plums and muted rusts. Together this scene became an unexpected masterpiece for our eyes to feast upon.  Though we were content to linger in this spot forever, time restraints pushed us back to the car and down the road to a place not far from the canyon’s edge. It was rocky there too… but not beautiful.  My eyes perceived it only as a wilderness. The landscape stood in stark contrast to what we’d driven away from.  It was hot, dusty and the only living thing we could see for miles around, besides the tourists, were scraggly looking pines in twisted shapes and sizes.  There were no golds, plums, or even rusts to enliven the view.  Only prickly, ever-greens…and some of those were turning brown.  Reluctantly, I followed my husband to the ‘Point of Interest’ sign which overlooked what I’d already deemed a wilderness.

“Nothing to stir my heart here.” I uttered in silent disappointment. 

But, oh how wrong I was! Sometimes it’s the very things our eyes deem as worthless that become what God uses to stir our hearts back to new life and shift our perspectives!”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 ” Sometimes it’s the very things our eyes deem as worthless that become what God uses

to stir our hearts back to new life and shift our perspectives!”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As I read the information on the sign, I learned that the pines I wouldn’t’ve given anybody two cents for moments earlier; were called Junipers.  Many of the Junipers have been standing firm on the far rocky edges of the Black Canyon for 600-800 years! The sign went on to say: ‘Their trunks have been twisted by the prevailing winds.  The fierceness of winter storms has shaped them.  Lightning has scarred them.  Drought has trimmed their branches to the bare minimum. But they endure.’

“BUT THEY ENDURE.”  It was these last three words that breathed new life back into my heart.  I now stood in silent wonder before these scraggly pines marveling at the message God created His Junipers to reflect back into this world. A message that captured my heart and gave me a visual for what silent surrender and true endurance look like; even while living in the midst of a wilderness. The beauty of the Juniper lay hidden in the message God created them to bear to this world. Oddly enough, I began to see that the same thing is true of God’s own children.

As a child of God, we too, are equipped to stand strong in those seasons we find ourselves planted on the rocky edges of life’s wilderness. Like the Junipers, we are called to reflect God’s Love back into this world.  Yes, there will be fierce storms to face; but even as winds prevail all around us, we can know God’s Hand is at work in their midst, shaping us for His wise purposes.  Sometimes, our knees will buckle, as though lightning just struck us down; yet in God’s Strength, we rise above the circumstances, bearing our scars and finding new life in spite of the harshness of our living conditions.  Droughts threaten to overtake us. Lean times will find us…physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. But the child of God is like the Juniper, the most drought-resistant tree on earth.  The Juniper sends its roots deep down into the rock where it’s been planted and even at the end of a drought season; remains standing firm, mature and evergreen.  The child of God clings to the Rock [God] and remains “… like a tree planted by water, that sends its roots by the stream [God], and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 msg).  

Our world is filled with creations that point our hearts towards God’s Love.  From the brightest glows of the Autumn season to the shadowy depths of the beautiful, Black Canyon; to the twisted Junipers anchored in the rocks of an unexpected wilderness; the message of God’s Love is undeniable. All of creation, in some way or another, reflects that message back to this broken world.

As children of God, we are planted on earth to purposefully, reflect God’s Ways, His Truths, and His Love before others. In a sense, we are to be someone else’s visual of what silent surrender and true endurance look like in life…even in the hardest of times.  Like the Whispers of God continually echoing off the walls of the matchless Black Canyon, may the message of our own lives resound the breadth, length, depth, and heights of God’s unfailing Love, to this watching world.  And like the Junipers that thrive even on the edges of the harshest wilderness, no matter what storms come our way in life; may it forever be said of us, as faithful children of God…BUT THEY ENDURED!

“Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it,

nothing will be too much for you.”

(Mark 11:22a MSG)

Dearest Lord, You are the Creator of all things everywhere. Your Love, Beauty and Goodness envelope all of creation, including Your children. And if our eyes somehow miss seeing the Beautiful Truth of it, it’s because we are not looking for it. Enable the eyes of our hearts to see the wonders You have placed within creation. Teach us the secret of the Juniper tree; who sends its roots down deep into the rock and at the end of a season filled with drought; is found ‘standing firm, mature, and ever-green.’  Father God, You are our Strength, our Stronghold, our Safe Retreat when storms descend.  Strengthen our hearts as we continue to learn the pattern of Your Righteous and Loving ways.  Whether in darkness or in light, wherever You plant us, may our lives faithfully reflect the unfathomable heights and depths of Your Love before the eyes of this watching world.  For we know beyond any shadow of doubt that without You… our hearts cannot endure.

IN JESUS NAME…AMEN