October 5, 2020
Sometimes when we pray it is useful to clear our minds, and not to think. Sometimes it is useful to begin with an image, and use that to organize our thoughts. Here is an example:
Meditation Using a Tree as a Metaphor
Think of something that was once very important in your life, that you no longer have. Maybe a job, or a place, or a person.

Now imagine that experience as a large tree. Like this one, maybe.

Think about how much space it took up in your life; how you spent time with it; how it provided oxygen for you; how you took care of it. Tell God what that was like for you.
Now recall when this tree was lost to you. Did it come down in sudden storm? Was it attacked by unseen predators, and withered away? Did you take it down to make room for something else? Did it die from something outside of the situation, like a drought? Explain to God what that meant for you.

Sometimes trees don’t fall over when they die. Sometimes they remain standing, though they clearly are not alive. Like this one:
Was there a time when you were in a relationship, but one of you had opted out? Was there a time when you knew something was ending, but other people didn’t see it? Notice the damage that has occurred to this dead tree. What wounded you during this time? Spend a little time remembering this in-between space. Share that hurt with God.

Dead trees eventually fall down, like this one:
How did you know when your “tree” had fallen? Did it collapse quietly? Did it crash down, and frighten you? Did it block your path as it fell? Did you discover something new about it, when you could see it up close? Review those insights with God.

As a tree trunk gradually rots away, as this one is doing, it provides a place for new growth to take place. Then it is called a nurse log. Can you think of anything in your life that can only grow now that the old tree has fallen? Or perhaps that hasn’t happened yet. Ask God to show you what meaning might grow out of this for you.

Amen

–Margaret Bain