Last week, a blustery wind and rainstorm came through toppling thick limbs from the tall Hackberry trees in my front yard. They rested on each other and in turn on my roof, creating a canopied arbor. I dreaded having to remove the limbs and lose the shade that keeps the morning sun from heating up the house. In addition to the large limbs, there were smaller limbs that now drooped closer to the ground. They will have to go as well, I predicted.
The arborist arrived fully equipped with ropes and pulleys, crane and chipper truck, and an assortment of saws–small and large. After securing his ropes, he gracefully hauled himself into the first tree to assess the situation. He cut the first big limb at the place it joined the main trunk. The other, he was able to take down without gutting the tree. It was amazing to watch him work. Not just his agility and speed, but his discernment.
After he finished removing the large limbs, he started moving onto the small limbs. I thought to myself, the poor tree will be stripped bare by the time he removes those smaller limbs.
But he didn’t. With great skill he knew which of the very small branches to remove so that the low hanging branches wouldn’t be weighed down. Once he made those cuts, the low hanging branches rebounded and lifted up. He made several other skillful incisions, then lowered himself back down to the ground.
As the crew fed the trunks into the chipper truck, he and I surveyed his results.
I had to cut deep on the first tree, but not so much on the second. The hanging branches just needed to be lightened up. Now they are fine.
It struck me how easy it is in our lives to do too much or too little. We may be fearful and timid to leave a job or relationship when that is indeed what is called for. It’s not going to get better, and the more we hang on, the less “safe” (physically or emotionally) we are. On the other hand, we may feel we need to make a major move when what is required is a gentle unburdening of the situation – change of role or clarification of expectations.
If we want to act smarter, we need to take time to think like the arborist and discern what level of “cut” is required to put things right. Then do that – no more, no less.
Until next Tuesday,
Elizabeth
Reminds me of the Gardener parable in John 15 and how the Gardener prunes what needs to be pruned so that it can be even more fruitful.
Beautiful parable Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike for commenting. I recall the parable now that you mention it. Deciding what to “cut” especially if it’s not “dead” is always a challenge. What the arborist showed me is that sometimes it’s just a slight trim that will do the trick!
e