Yet for the past two years, the idea has stayed at the back of my mind. I was always searching for more practical ways to apply it. Then came the inspiration for the Community of Boundaries post, which seemed to break the proverbial dam, and now I’m seeing it everywhere. A single post has turned into a series. Which brings us to the passage below.
This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” -Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV
In the passage, a counterpoint is given on where we place our trust. You may not readily see anything to do with community straight away. So let me ask you this: if you liken yourself to the proverbial tree by the water, how do you feel about the metaphoric bushes far from the stream? Are we punishing those who had the misfortune of taking root in a less-than-ideal place? While the passage says they are cursed, are we applying this as if we need to be the ones who curse the dry bushes? Instead of viewing their circumstances as a need for water offered in love. As well as going through the tricky long-term process of transplanting them into a healthier position or community.
Consider this: in a previous post, I pointed out that if we grew up in an unstable and unloving environment, our social skills tend to not be about giving and receiving love. Instead, they are about dealing with all the terrible things done in the name of love. Hence, trusting only in themselves and not in that life-giving water. My point being, are we acting as impatient, unkind, rude, and critical towards those far from the river as the one who pushed them far away in the first place? If so, we are being as toxic as them. In other words, trying to solve the problem with the cause of the problem. So why should they see any value in the river that way? It doesn’t resemble a healthy community at all from their point of view.
While transplanting is possible, it needs to be handled with care. It needs to be done in the right season. Otherwise, you will shock and kill the plant. A healthy community understands this. Where an unhealthy community wants to uproot them hastily or just watch the bushes burn in the sun. If that is your attitude, you are not as well rooted as you think. So ultimately you’re unfruitful as well. One detail we need to take note of in this agricultural metaphor is that fruit can be self-sustaining. If we know how to replant the seeds, that is. Which I dare say many do not in this age. Another point is that fruit trees often take several years to mature enough to bear fruit. Yet in our greed and impatience, we don’t want to work within these practical truths. Yet we wonder why the orchard (Community) is slowly fading away.
My point being, ancient people understood the frequent garden metaphors in the Bible. So they recognized that community requires proper maintenance, just like orchards do. Our postmodern civilization is very much disconnected from nature, and it’s showing in our neglect of community. As well as our attempts at curing the curse by cursing them more.
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