The New Year and winter (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) is usually a time of reflection and planning. It’s a time to think about goals, yes, but it can also be a time to think about foundations, about where we are planted, whether we are growing the way we want to, and about what will help us weather the storms of life.
Towards the end of last year, I was reading an excellent book about trees called “Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us” by Matthew Sleeth MD. If you love trees or just want to be astonished at the recurring theme of trees in the Bible from the very first pages to the very last, and how God speaks through the theme of trees, then I can recommend that book.
At the time of reading that book, the idea of trees and being well-planted was a recurring theme in my weeks. The verses in Jeremiah 17:7-8 were particularly relevant to me at the time:
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“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.”
The verses speak of being like trees planted by streams of water. These trees are not subject to the whims of the weather, and neither do they need to fear the storms of life, for their source is eternal. It is a river that will never dry up. The stream of Living Water is the source of life.
One day I stumbled across a painting called the Tree of Life, a rather dazzling, three-panelled collage of a stylised tree with stylised leaves and heavy sprinkles of gold – either a nod to Gustav Klimt’s version or one of his, I couldn’t tell. I was quite taken by it, the ‘folk art meets collage’ style with the variations of colours and patterns and the hints of the deeper reds. From there I started looking up other Trees of Life. Over and over I was bombarded with New Age symbolism and imagery. It felt rather like people had taken a deep, profound and ancient symbol that began with God and turned it into something empty and mystical and almost humanistic. I knew that I wanted to take it back and show how very practical and very wise the idea of the Tree of Life could be. How it could be a truth for building a life upon. I wanted to reclaim it, in a way, and mark it once again as God’s symbol.
Whilst there are so many facets of it, I chose to represent Jeremiah 17:7-8. I deliberately chose a psychedelic hippy style because it represented a more New Age version of it: the “voice” I was calling out as the counterfeit and upon which I would represent one of the true meanings. It was also a nod to the collage that first captivated me. Using that style, I painted a different kind of Tree of Life – a deeper one metaphorically. Around the trunk of the tree, it says:
“Like a tree firmly planted
By streams of Living Water.”
I painted it entirely for me, with no thought at all of using it anywhere, but this week, with the New Year upon us I feel rather compelled to offer it as a free download in the hope that someone out there might find some strength and inspiration in it as they face the year and years to come. May it encourage you to reach out roots to Living Waters so that you will not fear the storms and droughts and floods.
Click on it to see a bigger version then right-click to save a copy for your computer, or to print (it should be good for printing up to around A4 size). You can also use it for a blog post or wherever you think it might do some good. JUST PLEASE DON’T SELL IT IN ANY FORM! It’s meant to be a free inspirational piece of art. [If you post on a blog or website, we’d love a link-back to this site, but it’s not necessary.]
There are two versions to choose from or take them both. The original version is the purple one but I also adjusted it to a blue version for those who prefer it to represent more fully the idea of water and crystal clear streams.
QUESTION: Which one do you like best – blue or purple? Tell me below. If you download it and want to say thanks, or want to share how you used it, let me know in the comments below. (From time to time we open up comments and risk the spam when we think a topic suits it.)
About the Author: Lisa Saul
