December 13. Change Your Soil, Change Your Tree.

As a leader, I like to think we can always develop and grow. In that sense, we might use a comparison of the natural world. Let us consider a tree. I am not an expert about trees but think that they mostly have roots, trunks, branches, limbs, and leaves.

Some trees are certainly shaped differently and a set of leaves on one tree might be a set of needles on another. But the trees need soil to grow in.  As leaders, are we helping the members of our team grow by making better decisions?  It might be that giving them authority to make decisions is a way to grow.

Providing the necessary components to grow is as important as the soil is to the tree.  Think about the elements of the tree as the levels of importance of a decision. If your team has authority to make a leaf decision, the tree or team is not threatened by a mistake made at this level.

But if a limb decision is made poorly, it will affect many leaves. The team can survive without a limb, but there will be costs.  What if someone makes a bad decision and the tree loses a branch?  The tree will likely be unbalanced and may appear changed forever.  But the tree and team will survive it.

But the trunk and root decisions are the ones that risk the entire operation. Is your soil providing the nutrients to help your team members grow to be able to make a more important level of decision?  As leader, our plan to grow our team starts with the roots and soil.

As a leader, do you have just OK soil with too many rocks and little water? You will have roots working hard to get nutrients to survive regardless of your soil, but the better your soil the better your team and tree will grow. What kind of soil are your roots growing in this week?

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have two sides of the Bible. The Bible is made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is rooted in the law and commands of God. But the New Testament is rooted in Jesus.

We read, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3;17-18. 

It is like God changed the soil for us. It was not that the original soil was bad, but our growth and love was limited if we only lived in the soil of law. When we choose to live in new soil, it allows us to sprout new shoots. We get to grow differently.

Our leaves can be brighter colors and our branches stronger to withstand the winds of time. But we must give attention to putting away the old soil. We can no longer be dependent on the old source for nutrients. Where are we still living in worldly ways and old soil instead of a biblical way with Jesus?

Perhaps we should begin to dig around the roots and get to some fertile soil of God. What is the first thing you are willing to dig up and shovel away? Is there junk or rocks that your roots have to battle with? Jesus has taught us that the Holy Spirit can fill the holes with his soil.

Trust him and go digging with me this week. What is the first thing that you will do about your soil and roots this week?

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, your bounty is endless. Guide our thoughts and hearts this week as we begin to dig and uncover where you have light for us. May we find light where there was darkness. Strengthen our roots by putting your soil and spirit near us.

Send us living water to grow. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.