Christian Living

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Hope of a Tree

Job 14:7 "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease."

Barbara Hitch, my friend, my sister in Christ, my friend’s mother. I cannot say we worked together; for we did not work. We served the Lord. We served together. And it was a pleasure and an honor.

She stood strong in stature for many years and she stood firm in her beliefs. I compare her to a mighty tree that rarely wavered; a tree that withstood winds of hardship, gale forces of pain, tempest times and torrid diagnosis. Yet, she was willing to be cut down and hewn by the Lord’s own hand. She sacrificed her self and her time for the “least of these.”

Her bounty never failed to feed or to give to those less fortunate. Unconditionally, she maintained that the children of the church receive shelter in the way of a hug, a cool breeze when she offered a smile and a glimpse of the Son at any given opportunity.

A tree serves many purposes as did Barbara Hitch. There are many varieties of trees and hedges, but Barbara is a hybrid – a permutation of a sycamore and a cedar. See, like a sycamore she allowed you to see Jesus. She gave heightened awareness of His coming and she graciously allowed herself to be used. Like a cedar she radiated beauty and richness. She adorned our church with flowers; making them and herself, pleasing unto the Lord.

She was also like the people we associate with those trees. Like Zachaeus and the sycamore she was a climber. She reached for the Lord. She longed to see Him and today we know she has. She is in the presence of the King. Like Solomon, she was wise; but more so she was royal, elegant and desired the best for her Lord – like the cedars of Lebanon for the temple. Oh, imagine the temple she is worshipping in now.

A tree serves many purposes, but to build up it must be cut down. The hope of a tree is that when cut, a branch will sprout. New growth, new directions, new shadows and a new view of the sun will be seen. That is what Barbara left with us – an opportunity to view the Son.

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