My favorite tree and my heritage

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My favorite tree and my heritage

This is my favorite tree, today, dressed for winter.

We have several trees on our property surrounding our house in Sollentuna.

My favorite tree is an apple tree which gives three different kinds of apples.

Many years ago this tree had two different kinds of apples grafted onto the original apple tree.

It´s one tree, one root system, one tree trunk… but three different kinds of apples on the branches.

This made me think of my own history.

I´m not an apple, but I am a branch that has been grafted onto a family tree. My dad grew up as a foster child. He was born in Gothenburg, but grew up in a family in Småland. We hardly know anything about his biological parents or their history. But, in the Karlsson family my dad found his family and that´s how I became a part of it.

I think that sometimes we become a part of our family a little later than at our physical birth. Biological mothers carry their babies under their hearts för nine months. I know for a fact that mothers who meet their babies a little later, and not at the actual physical birth, carry their babies in their hearts for at least that long before they meet.

For me personally, it´s never been a problem to know so little about my biological origin. However, I know that many people in similar circumstances don´t feel the same way. Many feel great sadness and grieve what might have been. And my heart goes out to anyone in that position.

For me, the family that my dad was “grafted” into, became the family tree which gave me the roots and opporturnity to keep growing as a person. I became a branch among other branches on that family tree from Småland.

In the Bible, in the gospel of John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

This is the ultimate picture of a family tree.

When you and I welcome Jesus in our lives, we are grafted into God´s family tree. All branches are welcome in God´s family and able to bear fruit and I believe that all people wish that their lives would bear good fruit in some way.

Sometimes I think we believe that we have to struggle and work so hard to bear fruit in our lives. But, did you notice that Jesus says, “If you remain in me…” To remain is to be, just be.

Jesus does not say that if you desperately cling and grasp on to me you will bear fruit.” To remain and be is something different from doing something.

We are created as human beings and not human doings. We think that we have to do so many things all the time. But the fruit in our lives come when we are in Christ and remain in him.

That is such a relief!

So back to my favorite tree. I’m so happy that all the apples on that tree aren´t the same. And I’m so happy and grateful that my heritage is like that tree. Grafted onto that tree, with the same roots and trunk to grow from, I´m one of several branches. Some people struggle with the family tree they belong to. For some it´s a painful story.

For all who feel that way… and for all of us, it´s good to remember that we can all be a part of the ultimate family tree, God’s family. That´s where we can gather inspiration, security, and joy in that we are the branches and it’s Jesus who is the vine. It’s Jesus who gives the growth that becomes fruit in our lives.

And do you know something?

Whoever you are, I´m convinced that you are a beautiful branch on the tree where you are growing just now.