The Sycamore Tree

I had planned on only writing once or twice a week.  But as the old saying goes; if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.  I think God has had just a few laughs during my life.  The last couple of days have not been a lot of fun.  I came down with bronchitis over the weekend and have been coughing and not sleeping at night.  Both nights a particular event that occurred just before my symptoms began to appear has been playing over and over in my mind.  I am finding that whenever I feel that there is something I need to share, I should share.  So, here it goes and yes it will be preachy.

Do you ever have songs just pop into your mind from nowhere?  We laugh about it around the house when it happens.  DeLayne seems to have old classic hymns pop into her mind and I have old Vacation Bible School kid songs pop into mine.  That should probably tell you something about how different mine and DeLayne's music capabilities are.

One morning as I was backing out of the driveway,  the kid song about Zacchaeus popped into my head.  The story of Zacchaeus is detailed in Luke chapter 19.  Some of you may have learned this song and might be humming along now.  It has probably been forty years since I sang that song but there were those lyrics just like it was yesterday. 

Why was this song suddenly stuck in my mind?  I could have just passed it off but it kept happening day after day for several days.  Then one morning I heard the radio announcer say "Remember, today you may be the only Jesus someone sees."  Just like that, the puzzle pieces fell into place and lead me to ask a rather haunting question.  If my life were a sycamore tree, would someone crossing my path be able to climb it and see Jesus?  Sadly, the answer to that question is no.  There have been times in my life that if people were the climb that tree, they would not catch a glimpse of Jesus.  Thankfully and praise God, I am forgiven!

Since that morning, I have had a new morning prayer.  Each morning I ask God to grant me the grace that whomever may cross my path that day would see Jesus in my words, actions and deeds.  I had been finding it easier to be courteous and forgiving to people as I go through the day.  And thus I thought I had found the deep meaning in this song.

Then came the diagnoses of cancer and now there is a new branch in my sycamore tree.  I realize now that there will be multiple people coming into my life on a daily basis; doctors, nurses, lab techs, other cancer patients.  So, now I have another prayer.  That God heal me and that people be able to see Jesus in me during the process.

That's all I have for now.  So, go out and be someone's sycamore tree.

Thanks once again for all of the prayers, encouragement, e-mails and calls of support.